One Night on Bespin
by Leela Starsky
Summary: The Millennium Falcon has got them safely to Bespin. Will Lando Calrissian be the friend Solo needs?
1. Chapter 1

NOTE: In my version of this galaxy far, far away, the Galactic Standard Year consists of ten calendar months, each containing 40 days, or four ten-day weeks. A Galactic Standard Day consists of twenty, fifty minute hours. But this is usually deferred in preference to local time.

 _Inspirational music: "The Mummy" soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith, "Moulin Rouge" soundtrack by various artists, "Tarzan" soundtrack by Phil Collins and Mark Mancina, "Touch" by Sarah McLachlan, and "The Mask and the Mirror" by Loreena McKennitt._

 **ONE NIGHT on BESPIN**

 _by LeelaStarsky._

CHAPTER ONE

It was a mammoth city, hanging in the clouds like the forgotten toy of a god, gleaming pink and gold in the afternoon sunlight. Solo followed the cloud cars across the top of it, then descended among the spires of buildings as they did until they reached the designated landing platform. Then he faultlessly brought the _Falcon_ to rest.

They all stared at the empty platform for a long moment and, Solo suspected, none of them thought it bode well. Where was security? Where was Lando for that matter? Either he was still too angry with Han to contemplate seeing him or he no longer cared, and Solo really couldn't see _that_ being an option.

The truth was, every alarm system, every gut feeling in his body was screaming at him to lift off and get the hell out of there. But he had no options. He couldn't go anywhere without a hyperdrive.

Solo started locking down the ship and Chewie fell into routine with him. He chanced a look at Leia and caught her staring out at the loudly vacant landing platform. She met his gaze briefly and was suddenly galvanised into action. Releasing her safety restraints and climbing out of her seat, she left the cockpit and Threepio followed her.

"Oh, no one to meet us," Threepio said as he came to the end of the _Falcon's_ landing ramp and stopped.

Leia stopped beside him, obviously unsettled. "I don't like this," she growled.

"Well, what _would_ you like?" Solo snapped, then thought snidely, _A royal delegation_? Nevertheless, he had enough sense to leave it unsaid. He was as unhappy about the situation as she was.

"Well they _did_ let us land," Threepio observed helpfully.

"Look," Solo said, trying to mollify her, "don't worry. Everything's going to be fine. Trust me."

The door to the landing platform _whooshed_ open and a squad of armed security guards moved into place, lining the entrance to the city. Then a dark skinned man stepped from their midst and walked towards the _Falcon_ , his cape billowing in the sharp wind.

"See?" Solo said. "My friend."

Leia folded her arms defensively and regarded the newcomer with reservation.

Solo started forward to meet the approaching figure and paused beside Chewie. "Keep your eyes open, okay?"

Chewbacca growled a low affirmation and Solo moved to meet his friend. He paused when the cloaked figure stopped three meters away and glared at him

"Why you slimy, double-crossing, no-good swindler!" the man said darkly. "You've got a lot of guts coming here, after what _you_ pulled."

 _Me_? Solo indicated himself innocently. Calrissian approached, glowering, then abruptly lunged at the Corellian. Solo, feeling sure he was about to be hit, raised his fists in self-defence. And was surprised to find himself being embraced in enthusiastic greeting.

"How you doing, you old pirate?" the man crowed exuberantly. "So good to see you!"

"Well," Threepio said, "he seems very friendly."

"Yes," Leia agreed warily and followed Chewie towards Solo. "Very friendly."

"What are you doing here?" Calrissian wanted to know.

Solo gestured over his shoulder at the Falcon. "Ahh… repairs. I thought you could help me out."

"What have you done to my ship?" Calrissian demanded with mock outrage.

" _Your_ ship?" Solo jabbed a finger at his chest. "Hey, remember you lost her to me fair and square!"

Calrissian noticed the Wookiee's approach and asked, "And how are you doing, Chewbacca? You still hanging around with this loser?"

Chewbacca gave him a reserved response and Calrissian's eyes suddenly lit upon the princess.

" _Hello_ ," he said with sudden admiration. "What have we here?"

Solo rolled his eyes as Calrissian moved past Chewbacca to give Leia his full attention.

"Welcome," Calrissian said smoothly. "I'm Lando Calrissian. I'm the administrator of this facility." He reached for her hand as he asked, "And who might you be?"

"Leia," she responded coolly.

"Welcome, _Leia_ ," he said, gallantly kissing the back of her hand.

As far as Solo was concerned, Lando had gone far enough. "Alright, alright," he said, taking Leia's hand and interposing himself between them. He grinned at Calrissian and scolded, "You old smoothie." The warning was there, despite his smile, and he knew Calrissian had seen it.

Leia couldn't quite stop the smile that spread across her face as he steered her towards the entrance, and for a moment Solo saw a whisper of the Leia who had been sharing his bunk for the last three weeks. He caught her eye and saw the hostility in her demeanour lessen slightly. She gave him a reserved smile then removed her hand from his.

"What's wrong with the _Falcon_?" Lando was asking.

"Hyperdrive," Solo replied, forcing himself to pay attention to the man.

"I'll get my people to work on it," Calrissian assured him matter-of-factly.

"Good," Solo said, and wondered when Lando would want to discuss payment. But Lando, it seemed, was set on impressing the princess.

"You know, that ship saved my life quite a few times," he told her. "She's the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy."

...

Watching Calrissian as he led them into the city, Leia could tell he was older than Solo by several years. Which didn't really surprise her. Like herself, Solo had been forced to grow up fast, and it was not unusual that he had moved in an older circle. Han had realised at an early age that his survival depended on his ability to learn fast, and that there was little to learn from his peers. That was why he had survived not just his youth on the streets of Coronet, but his life as a smuggler and the Imperial Academy as well.

Solo had warned her about Lando's prior ownership of the _Falcon_ , largely, she suspected, because he knew Calrissian would make an issue of it. She got the feeling that losing the _Falcon_ to Solo was something Calrissian had never quite got over and wondered exactly what sort of stunt Solo had 'pulled' on him.

"How's the gas mine?" Solo was asking. "Is it still paying off for you?"

"Oh, not as well as I'd like. We're a small outpost and not very self-sufficient. And I've had supply problems of every kind. I've had labour difficulties…"

Leia heard Solo chuckle and obviously so had Calrissian.

"What's so funny?" he demanded.

"You," Solo said, chuckling. "Listen to you. You sound like a regular businessman, a responsible leader. Who'd have thought that, huh?"

' _Who'd have thought that',_ Leia echoed in her mind. _Sounds a little like someone else I know_ , she thought. She slowed as Calrissian paused to look at his former friend.

"You know seeing you sure brings back a few things," he said.

Solo regarded the man with equal intensity and Leia suspected there was a lot not being said. He squeezed Calrissian's shoulder and agreed, "Yeah."

Calrissian started them walking again. "Yeah, I'm responsible these days," he said. "It's the price you pay for being successful."

Leia took the time to study the city as they moved through it. It was certainly beautiful, there was no denying it and, despite Calrissian's supply problems, the inhabitants looked well fed and happy. The architecture of the city reminded her of Alderaan and she suspected the architect was from her homeworld or at least a lover of it. Smooth, clean lines and lots of curves that suggested decorative without being frilly.

Chewbacca left her side suddenly and headed back the way they had come, leaving Leia wondering if he thought he'd forgotten something. Then she dismissed him. Chewbacca could look after himself. Whatever he was doing she was sure he'd have a good reason for it.

By the time Calrissian led them to the apartment he had set aside for them at the top of one of the upper spires, Chewie was back and Leia made a mental note to ask the Wookiee about it once Calrissian had left.

The Administrator opened the door with a grand flourish and said, "The _royal_ suite." They all must have looked a little startled at the claim, Leia decided, because he hurriedly added, "Well, not really, but royalty did stay here once. Or so I'm told."

He was bragging, Leia realised and suddenly found herself doubting his claim. The comment disturbed her and she came to the unhappy conclusion that Lando Calrissian knew who she was.

The apartment was elegant, in a minimalist sort of way, and Leia decided it was probably the sort Calrissian reserved for business partners and visitors with money. People he wanted to impress. And wondered if he was deliberately setting out to intimidate Han. There was a panoramic window on the far side of the circular lounge, looking out over the city, and a large skylight overhead. The colours of the sunset had painted the room and caught the different angles of the tall, abstract sculpture in the centre of the lounge making it appear to glow like a frozen flame. Until Calrissian turned the lights on and shattered the illusion. Leia suspected she had chanced seeing the sculpture at its most impressive and decided that the artist would not have been all that impressed with Lando.

Calrissian swept around the perimeter of the suite and opened one of the four doors off the lounge.

"Bedroom," he said, indicating with his hand, then pointed at the door closest to the entrance. "Refresher." He waved at the doors on the other side of the lounge and said, "Same on that side." _Only two_? Leia thought, suddenly affronted at his assumption that she and Han would be sharing, then Calrissian looked at Chewbacca and added, "I assumed you'd want to stay with the ship."

Chewie growled an affirmative and Leia wondered why she hadn't considered that herself. Of course Han and Chewie wouldn't trust anyone near their ship unsupervised. She wondered if she would be spending her time in the apartment alone while Han abandoned her to concentrate on his ship, then felt guilty for wanting him all to herself.

Calrissian was explaining the vagaries of the comm system to Han and she looked inside the bedroom. It was as spartan as the lounge area with only a large bed in the centre. A _very_ large bed. Luxury after the small bunk they had been sharing on the _Falcon_ …

She walked through to the 'fresher which could be accessed from the bedroom as well as the lounge area. It was large and luxuriously appointed, the central feature being a large spa pool. The water in it glimmered enticingly in the light reflecting off it from an overhead skylight that looked like a smaller version of the one over the lounge, and Leia wondered how long she would be able to resist the temptation to plunge in.

She walked back into the bedroom and noticed there was a balcony area outside the large window. Walking across to it, Leia opened the access and stepped out on to it. The view was magnificent and the air was surprisingly mild. Lights could be seen all over the city now, despite it still being bathed in sunset colours, and she could see transport systems and distant throngs of people in the lower, open areas.

She looked at Han and Calrissian as they stepped out onto the balcony beside her and suspected that Solo had come looking for her.

"It's a lovely outpost," she admitted to Calrissian.

"Yes, we're very proud of it," he replied. "You'll find the air quite special here… very stimulating." He smiled meaningfully at her and added, "You could grow to like it."

Solo didn't miss Calrissian's flirtatious glance and obviously didn't like it. "We don't plan on staying that long," he said brusquely.

Leia raised an eyebrow at her simmering lover and said mischievously, "I find it quite relaxing."

Calrissian chuckled and they followed him back inside. As they walked through the bedroom to the lounge area, Solo caught Leia's eye and indicated the bed with his eyes. Like her, its size and possibilities had impressed him, and an amused, intimate look passed between them.

"I'll organise a repair crew for the _Falcon_ now," Calrissian was saying. "Feel free to settle in; have a look around the city." He smiled at them. "Whatever takes your fancy."

His innuendo made Leia feel dirty, particularly as the sight of such a luxurious bed had prompted just such thoughts in her. Irritated, she moved to the panoramic window in an attempt to put as much distance between Calrissian and herself as she could.

"As I mentioned before," he continued, "I do have other matters to attend to. Perhaps we could get together tomorrow morning for a late breakfast?" He patted Solo on the back and headed for the door. "We can talk over old times; what do you say, buddy?"

Solo muttered something non-committal and Chewbacca succinctly told Calrissian that he would return to the _Falcon_ immediately and await the repair crew and parts.

"Come on then," Calrissian encouraged and swept out the door with Chewbacca close on his heels. "You can make sure I order the right parts. Who knows what you two lunatics have done to her systems?"

The door shut, cutting off Chewbacca's reply, and Leia relaxed marginally, glad to see the back of Lando.

Immediately, Solo produced a small scanner from one of his pockets and proceeded to sweep the apartment for surveillance devices. Leia watched him affectionately. Han and his bug-hunts… Then he moved into the other rooms, systematic in his sweep, and Leia turned back to the sunset. It occurred to her that Threepio had not followed them to the apartment but, knowing the droid's propensity for wandering off and getting distracted, decided that he had probably gotten lost. She hoped he would have enough sense to simply retrace his steps and go back to the ship.

Solo re-pocketed his scanner, finally satisfied that the rooms were 'bug-free', and stepped back into the main lounge area. He turned and looked at Leia, silhouetted against the magnificent sunset visible through the panoramic window. He approached at a leisurely pace, walking around the lounge area, etching this view of her into his memory, his boots clicking softly on the polished floor. Leia looked up at him as he approached, and smiled. A soft, intimate smile that, Solo knew, was a smile she only gave to him. He returned it in kind and cupped her face with one hand, watching the changing light play across the contours of her face.

"Will Chewie be alright?" she asked quietly. "Do you need to go with him?"

"He'll call me if he needs me," he said. Tracing her hairline with a finger, he added, "He won't be back 'til the morning."

He was undressing her with his eyes. Leia licked her lips and smiled almost bashfully. "What about dinner?"

"Nah," he assured her, drawing her close. "He likes scouting around in the spacer bars; finding out what the gossip is-"

"Seeing how _safe_ it is," she said, correcting him.

Solo looked at her for a moment, then answered honestly, "Yeah." He leaned down and kissed her jaw, just beside her ear, and Leia couldn't help responding, leaning into his embrace as he nibbled her neck.

"He knows who I am, Han."

Solo paused then frowned at her. "Lando? What makes you think that?"

"A feeling," she admitted.

Solo considered that for a moment. She was probably right. Lando wasn't stupid. He was certainly astute enough to follow the smuggler gossip network; to keep up with who was shipping what and for whom. No doubt Lando knew he had been working for the Rebels for the last couple of years, but would he have recognised the Princess of Alderaan? And what would it mean if he had? Solo doubted the man would want to risk his reputation, business, not to mention the safety of his city, for a quick sale of information that was likely to bring the big guns of the Empire down on his head.

No, if he _had_ recognised the princess, Lando would want them out of there as fast as possible, which meant he would have the ship fixed sooner rather than later. And that, in Solo's opinion, could only work in their favour.

Leia slid her hands up under his jacket, tightened her embrace, and he reciprocated, sensing her unspoken apology for the tension that had been between them for most of the morning. Solo kissed the top of her head then started removing pins from her hair, felt her tense for a moment. She pulled away a little to look at him, her eyes glimmering in the soft light, but he continued to remove the pins, slipping them into his pocket as he went.

Finally, the plaits tumbled down and he carefully unwound each one, revelling in the silken feel of it sliding through his fingers.

"Which bed d'you wanna try first?" he murmured into her ear.

She responded huskily, "The biggest one,"

"I think they're the same size," he said, without stopping his nuzzling.

"The closest one," Leia amended.

...

In another part of the City, hidden from all but those who needed to know, was a room containing several Imperial officers, whose current duty involved monitoring the movements of the crew of the _Millennium Falcon_.

The remains of the nosy protocol droid, which the stormtroopers guarding the entrance had blasted, had been gathered up and disposed of. Now the technicians were concentrating on the screens relaying data from a network of the most up-to-date spy droids available and assuming that the blasting of the droid would be the most interesting thing they would see for the next fifteen hours.

They had a mobile probe following the Wookiee and one waiting to follow the Corellian and the princess should they leave the apartment they'd been given. There were also fixed 'spies' on the landing pad with the _Millennium Falcon_ as well as in the apartment.

Two of the screens were currently focussed on the Wookiee, who was busy abusing the technicians trying to repair his ship, while the other five had been dedicated to the apartment. The black uniformed officers were variously eating, drinking and chatting, while keeping a respective eye on their particular screen. The boredom involved in this sort of surveillance was usually acute and such liberties were one of the perks.

Abruptly, one of the officers sat up, taking a keen interest in his screen, then announced lasciviously, "Heads up, boys; we've hit the jackpot!"

Boredom and tedium forgotten, the three screens not devoted to the Wookiee were switched to the bedroom which had their targets active in it.

With the latest Imperial Digital Imaging, depending on the amount of spy-imagers used, almost any angle and any zoom could be achieved in a surveillance, and the present officers knew how to use it to its full advantage.

Thus, when Darth Vader entered the room some twenty minutes later, it was to a room of excited, engrossed and highly amused officers, to whom the Dark Lord's arrival was like a bucket of cold water.

Three screens flicked back to their original surveillance of the apartment's other rooms, and several officers hustled back to their posts.

Vader was not stupid; he could guess what was going on. As could Lando Calrissian who had followed in directly behind the Dark Lord. He glared at the officers and winced as his own eyes strayed to the screen. Han did not deserve this, nor did the young princess.

"Lord Vader, is this _necessary_?" he growled, waving a hand at the screen while trying not to look at it.

Vader turned and seemed to regard him for a moment, although, with the mask, Lando could not be sure.

"It is relatively harmless, Calrissian."

The city administrator steamed impotently and tried to put as much outrage as he dared into his voice. "It is a _complete_ invasion of their privacy!"

"Compared to what will happen to them in the morning, it is nothing," was Vader's callous response. He turned to the officer in charge, a thin, pale-skinned man who, Calrissian thought, could do with a month on a planet with some decent sunshine. _Coruscant born and bred_ , he decided.

"Are the repairs to the _Millennium Falcon_ going as expected, Commander?" Vader asked.

The officer nodded. "Yes, my lord."

The Sith Lord studied the screen showing the Wookiee. "Has the Wookiee been a problem?"

"Not yet, sir."

"And the interrogation preparations?"

"A scan grid and several interrogation droids were brought from the _Executor_ before it left the System, my lord. I have the technicians assembling the grid now."

Calrissian flinched mentally at the mention of a scan grid and chose not to think too closely about it. Vader had moved to the screen showing Solo and the princess and watched as they completed their copulation. The volume for all the screens had been set low, yet the cries of passion from Solo and his princess seemed loud in the otherwise still room. Calrissian couldn't remember feeling more uncomfortable or embarrassed in his life. If the girl had simply been the sort of trivia Solo usually attracted, it wouldn't have been so bad; but she obviously meant something to him, and he to her. Calrissian shook his head; Han was in too deep this time, and there was nothing he, personally, would be able to do to help them. Lando suspected he'd be lucky to come out of this fiasco with Cloud City intact. And he knew for certain that if Solo survived whatever abominations Vader had planned for him, he would _never_ forgive Calrissian.

The couple on screen were recuperating, talking quietly, and Vader asked, "You are recording, Commander Rosonger?"

"Yes, lord Vader-"

"Analyse every word. They may discuss where they had planned to rendezvous with the Rebellion."

Rosonger inclined his head, "Yes, my lord."

"I want transcripts of all their conversations, do you understand, Commander?"

"Yes, sir-"

" _Every_ word," the Dark Lord insisted.

"Yes, Lord Vader!"

...

Leia took a moment to catch her breath then looked across at Han, on his back, recuperating, and smiled. She rolled towards him, settled into his side, and he draped his arm comfortably around her shoulders, drawing her closer. As an afterthought, Leia twined her leg around his and Solo eyed her warily.

"You're feeling energised," he croaked and attempted to clear his throat. Leia grinned sheepishly and nodded, running her hand over his abdomen. "You're gonna kill me, you know?" he pointed out, suppressing an urge to flee. She was ten years his junior after all.

Leia grinned and lifted herself onto one elbow so she could look him in the eye. "And you thought it'd be Vader or Jabba who killed you!" she teased. "Little did you know the true bane of your life was _me_."

"Oh, I knew alright," Solo replied then grinned. "I just couldn't help myself."

Leia lay her head on his chest and hugged him. "Me either," she murmured.

They lay quietly for a while, then Solo asked, "What did you want to do tonight?" His mouth twitched up on one side as he anticipated her answer. "Apart from more of this."

Leia smirked but asked, "What did you have in mind?"

Solo ran his hand through her hair. "I thought we could maybe go somewhere nice to eat. _Real_ food, you know?"

Leia lifted her head and looked at him. "Do you think we should?"

"Eat real food?"

"Eat _out_ ," she clarified.

"Why not? No one here's interested in us."

"I hope not," Leia said warily, visions of Ord Mantell running through her mind. No one should have been interested in them there, either, but Jabba's bounty hunter, Boba Fett, had almost succeeded in not only capturing Han, but killing her as well.

"Well, I don't know about you," Solo said, "but _I_ need sustenance." Leia giggled and he added pointedly, " _Exactly_! And if you want me to have any sort of stamina-"

Leia pushed herself up. " _Want_ you to have stamina?" She laughed and straddled him. "I _expect_ it, flyboy!"

Solo groaned and closed his eyes. "Leia, I swear…" He felt her go still and opened his eyes to find her smiling at him. "What?" he asked.

Leia ran her hand across his chest without taking her eyes off his, then leaned forward and touched his face. "Han…"

Solo's expression softened to one of total devotion. "What is it, Sweetheart?"

Leia opened her mouth to speak then closed it again and Solo smiled, his hands caressing her.

"I love you, too," he whispered back to her, the caresses from his hands becoming sensual and erotic. Leia closed her eyes, revelling in his touch, writhing in his lap, and Solo felt a stirring in his groin. It amazed him, yet how could he not? The visual stimuli she was providing alone was enough to send him rock hard, but the feel of her moist warmth rubbing against him…

Leia regarded him smugly and slid herself onto him.

...

Vader was leaving the room when one of the officers gasped and drew their attention to the screen once more.

"Again?" the words were out of Rosonger's mouth before he could stop them and he threw an apologetic glance in the direction of the Dark Lord. "Sorry, my lord."

Vader stared at the screen for a long moment before growling to no one in particular, "She defiles herself."

"Yes, my lord," Rosonger agreed unquestioningly.

Vader swept from the room, followed by Calrissian, and the remaining officers immediately relaxed and clustered around the 'active' screen, redirecting two more to focus on the couple from different angles.

"All that bullshit about Corellians must be true…" one of the officers muttered.


	2. Chapter 2

**ONE NIGHT on BESPIN**

 _by LeelaStarsky._

CHAPTER TWO

"Lando?"

Calrissian looked at the comm-unit he had just answered without even considering who might be on the other end, and the sight of his old friend's face sent him into utter panic. Why the hell would Han be calling him? Had they seen something? Did they suspect?

" _Han_?"

"Yeah." Solo frowned out at him from the small screen. His shoulders appeared bare and Lando suspected he was naked. Calling from the bedside comm. "Am I interrupting something?" he wanted to know, doubtless confused by Calrissian's reaction.

"No," Calrissian answered hastily and wondered if Solo could hear the lie. He couldn't look his old friend in the eye, unable to see anything except Solo and his princess rolling and panting. "Am I?" he asked, then realised what a stupid question it was.

"What?" Solo's frown deepened and Calrissian hurriedly tried to cover his indiscretion.

"Sorry, Han, I'm a little distracted. What did you want?"

"I wanted to take Leia out for dinner and thought maybe you could recommend somewhere nice?"

Calrissian smiled naturally and thought, _Solo must have it bad_! Then said, "Sure, buddy, I know just the place. But I think the lady will need a change of clothes." From the look on Solo's face that was not something he had even considered and Calrissian shook his head at him. _She's a bloody princess, Han_! "What size is she, Han? I'll have a selection sent to your room."

Solo grinned at him. "How would I know, Lando? Little?"

"Leave it to me," Calrissian sighed, wondering what in all the hells the princess of Alderaan saw in the uncultured Corellian.

"Thanks!"

"I've made a reservation for you at my favourite restaurant," Calrissian said, accessing the database beside him, then looked at Solo and added, "My treat." He hoped the thick-headed Corellian wouldn't argue the point, but Solo beamed at him and Calrissian realised his friend was basically penniless. "I'll download how to get there to your current screen."

"Thanks Lando-"

"Forget it." The guilt was coming back, hard and fast.

"No, I mean it, buddy." Solo's face was suddenly serious. "I know you're not stupid, Lando; you probably realise how dangerous we are…"

Calrissian considered for a long moment before admitting, "I know who she is, Han."

Solo smiled ruefully, "She said you did."

Panic gripped him again and he thought, _She suspects_! "And you didn't believe her?" Calrissian frowned at Solo. "What the hell does she see in you, Han?"

"Honestly, Lando?" A look of pure openness crossed the Corellian's face and he looked at his old friend vaguely abashed. "I don't know…" A grin started to break across his face and he added, "But she's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Obviously."

...

Solo had to rouse himself from an impromptu doze when the clothes were delivered and was surprised to find that Lando had sent clothes for _him_ as well. He lay Leia's out on the bed in the other room for her. Leia was still in the shower _indulging_ herself and he half contemplated joining her there, but the thought of having to 'perform' again so soon kept him where he was.

Instead, he checked out the clothes Lando had chosen for her… That thought irked him terribly and he was shocked to the core when he realised the Administrator had included _underwear_ in his selection.

He heard the shower cease and called her into the room.

She padded in on bare feet, wearing nothing but a towel and, typically, regarded the clothes with utmost suspicion.

"What's this?"

"I asked Lando to recommend a good place to eat and he booked us into somewhere flash. He didn't think you'd feel right wearing your snowsuit there."

" _Lando_ sent these?"

Solo nodded, then held up a particularly brief set of underpants and bra and waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

Leia gawped. "Lando sent _those_?" She shook her head. "I'm not wearing those. I'd rather go to a place where my suit won't be so noticeable-"

Solo held up a beaded, burgundy-coloured dress that had caught his eye and was reminded of another time he had chosen a dress for her. Only two years ago, but it seemed like a lifetime.

Leia had obviously been reminded of their time in Farrouq's mansion on Coruscant too, because she smiled and asked, "Mollemar Silk?"

Solo smiled. "I don't think Lando's wealth stretches _that_ far."

Leia took the dress from him and held it against herself. "You like it?"

"Either of the red ones are nice. That one's a little more _exotic_." Solo shrugged. "It's up to you." He smiled and added, "I'm having a shower."

Leia watched him go and perused the other dresses, swiftly deciding that Solo was right; the red ones were the best choice. She carried them both back to the other bedroom and found the clothes Lando had sent Solo. Automatically Leia sought out the items that would match her choice of gown and took the others to the second bedroom, leaving them on the bed with the dresses she had rejected.

She walked into the refresher room to return her towel, wondering what she would do with her hair, and was met with a veil of steam and the sight of Solo in the shower.

He looked at her and smiled and Leia felt her heart lodge in her throat. _I love him_ , she thought. _I really do_ … And, as she returned the smile, Leia realised, _I always have_ …

He turned away to wash his hair and she was mesmerised by the play of muscles under his skin. The way they bunched and rippled across his shoulders and down his back as he rubbed the soap into his scalp. He stepped back under the flow of water to rinse it out and she watched it cascade down his body. The spray was bouncing off his body and hitting the soft force-shield between them. The shield was weak enough to walk through, yet strong enough to keep the water from splashing everywhere.

"Did you decide on a dress?" he asked, turning off the shower.

Leia nodded and realised she had lost the ability for speech. She watched him step away from the shower and reach for a towel, and found herself wanting to run her hands all over his body, to revel in its slick wetness. No, not just her hands, she realised, her whole body. She wanted to feel him against her, inside her. She wanted to run her tongue over his skin, to taste every inch of him. The depth of her desire shocked her.

"Keep looking at me like that, sweetheart, and we'll be late for dinner."

His voice, low and seductive, seemed to rumble around inside her chest, filling every nook and cranny. Filling her up with _him_. Leia met his eyes, golden in the soft bathroom lighting, and her entire being seemed to coalesce around the thought, _I love you, Han_. And she could almost swear she felt his response, _I love you, too, Leia_.

He leaned in and brushed her lips with his, and Leia felt her body tremble.

A small smile touched his lips and he asked, "You okay?"

Leia managed a minuscule shake of her head and a whisper of concern flitted across his face.

He asked, "What's wrong? You don't want to do dinner?"

 _Fuck dinner_! _Fuck the clothes_! _Just fuck me_! Leia licked her lips. "I want you."

Solo smiled and moved in closer. "I want you too," he murmured and Leia could feel the heat from the shower coming off his body in waves. He glanced down, as his arousal became apparent, then grinned at her as she followed the glance and moved a step closer to him. "And," he said, inhibiting her approach by gently gripping her shoulders, "I intend to spend dinner _wanting_ you." He deliberately moved away from her, rubbing the towel over his skin.

Leia forced herself to look away. To hang up her towel and consider what she would do with her hair. The beaded dress required something elegant…

"What time is it?" Solo asked, combing his wet hair. The comb was charged to repulse water, thereby drying his hair with each stroke.

"Nearly 1700 standard," she replied, then frowned. "I think? I forgot to check the rotation here…" She leaned in towards the mirror to check her face for blemishes, then smiled at his reflection. "I'm still on Hoth time anyway."

Solo grinned and started running the shaver over his jaw. With their body clocks tuned to Hoth time, they hadn't bothered to switch to standard on the _Falcon_. By Hoth time it was just after midday, but on this part of Bespin it was evening. Which, in effect meant that they would be going to bed in the middle of the afternoon. "So we get to spend all 'afternoon' in bed," he said.

Leia smiled then glanced at his groin and sighed. "I'd better get dressed."

When Solo joined her in the bedroom, Leia was dressed and going through his jacket.

"Where did you put my hair pins?" she wanted to know.

Amused, Solo retrieved his jacket and showed her which pocket he had put them in.

"Oh," she said, pulling them out. "Thanks."

She vanished into the 'fresher and Solo set about getting dressed, and wondered how long she would take. Leia could fuss over her looks with the best of them but, compared to other women he'd known, she was too damn practical to spend hours at it.

Dressed in the black pants and high-neck pullover that Lando had sent, he waited for her on the balcony outside the bedroom. Three of Bespin's moons were in view and he leaned on the safety rail, gazing at them and the Cloud City air traffic, enjoying the night air. The pants were loose enough to wear over the top of his boots, which helped to hide his spacer origins, and allowed him to carry his small hold-out blaster concealed in the leg of his right boot.

He heard Leia's approach and turned to look at her. The dress seemed to fit her perfectly, conforming to and emphasising her figure, and the rustle of the beads mingled with the expensive sounding whisper of the fabric as she walked.

She had put her hair up in a soft arrangement that left tendrils curling around her face and down her neck, which she had left bare. The neckline of the dress drew his eyes to her cleavage and he had to force himself to look beyond it.

There was an arrangement of red, gold and black beads in her hair that matched her dress, and delicate drops from her ears. She must have found make-up in the 'fresher somewhere because she had painted her lips red and done something to emphasise her eyes. She looked beautiful. Awe-inspiringly beautiful.

"How do I look?" she asked in that soft, low voice of hers that had him all but kneeling at her feet.

 _Too good for me,_ was the honest reply in his head, but he simply replied, "Stunning." Then gingerly touched her cheek and added, "Like a Princess."

She smiled and said, "You look pretty hot yourself, Captain."

One side of his face slid into a grin and his eyes were drawn to the beads in her hair. "Did you rip these off the dress?" he asked, his smile broadening at the thought of her adjustments causing trouble for Lando.

"It's the necklace," Leia confessed. "I thought the dress looked more elegant without it."

Solo nodded, not really understanding but agreeing with her nonetheless. "Ready to go?" he asked. Leia nodded and he ushered her back into the bedroom where he donned a black, knee-length leather coat.

"You're not wearing the cape?"

She sounded disappointed. He'd found the black, burgundy-lined cape she had left with his clothes, and knew it was probably the height of fashion, but had chosen to wear the coat instead.

Solo shook his head. "Never was into cloaks," he told her. "Too much like a Jedi thing." Not to mention a style that Lando obviously found irresistible. And the last person he wanted to remind Leia of tonight was Lando.

Leia regarded him and for a moment he wondered whether she was going to make a big deal of it. But she seemed content to accept his reasoning and picked up a beaded, silk shawl from the bed as they walked through to the lounge area.

"Do you know where we're going?" she asked as Solo opened the door for her, then waited as he followed her through and secured the door.

"Lando gave me instructions," he said, then proffered his elbow and felt a flush of pride as she took it. Felt her hand snake through and grip his biceps. He smiled at her and they headed off.

...

The restaurant was within walking distance, and a lot of the distance was on a large, wide balcony bordered by shops. They strolled it leisurely; enjoying the mild night air. The area was comfortably busy with an equally elegant clientele, several of whom nodded politely to Solo and the princess, assuring them that they considered them part of their elite club.

For Leia this was nothing unusual; it was the sort of society she had grown up in. But Solo was anything but impressed. It irked him to be judged on looks alone. He tried to feel smug about successfully fooling them all, but in fact it simply seemed to reinforce the fact that he didn't belong. He was starting to doubt his choice about the coat too. _All_ the men seemed to be wearing capes.

Leia's hand tightened fractionally on his arm and he looked at her to find her smiling at him and suspected she had sensed his unease. Was this what he was in for if he settled into some sort of permanent relationship with her, he wondered. A life of unease and never feeling good enough? Of never really belonging? Solo took a deep breath and decided that Lando had done this deliberately. The clothes, the posh restaurant, even the underwear for sith's sake! All to show him up in front of the princess.

They were approaching the restaurant when Solo found himself needing to know which underwear Leia had chosen. Just the thought of Lando _picking_ that stuff….

He put his mouth close to her ear and asked under his breath, "Which underwear did you wear?"

Leia regarded him with a mixture of shock and amusement then replied in a low voice, "None."

"None of the ones Lando sent?"

Leia's eyes met his. "No, none."

Solo stopped in his tracks and Leia's face broke into a wide grin.

"Are you serious?"

Leia nodded. "I told you I wasn't going to wear any of the ones Lando sent, and I wanted to wash mine…" Solo ran his hand over her buttocks, trying to feel through the dress, and she slapped his hand away. "Han!"

Solo made a show of rolling his eyes and putting his hands behind his back and hissed, "You tell me you're not wearing anything under the dress then expect me to keep my hands to myself?"

"Of course," she said primly. "Remember, Han; you're a gentleman tonight. Gentlemen _always_ keep their hands to themselves." She threw him a sideways glance, then smirked and whispered, " _You_ wanted to spend dinner _wanting_ me."

He pulled her to a halt and whispered urgently, "You wanna go back to the apartment?"

"Of course I do," she admitted, turning to face him. "But this is fun too." She ran her hand across the smooth expanse of his chest, well defined by the figure-hugging, black pullover he was wearing.

"Oh, so 'gentlemen' can't touch but 'ladies' _can_?" he teased.

Solo filled his lungs, expanding his chest to its maximum and Leia smiled up at him, suspecting he'd done it deliberately. He started to smile and Leia slid her hands under the lapels of his coat jacket, under his arms to his back, pulling herself against his chest.

Solo's arms encircled her, drawing her into what became a deep, sentimental embrace. She felt him kiss the top of her head and closed her eyes to focus on the sensation of being loved, of being cherished. She held him a moment longer then disengaged gently and said in a low, affectionate voice, "Come on, Captain, lets go have dinner."

...

The restaurant was the epitome of elegant dining. Warm lighting, soft music, human waiters, and the cream of Cloud City's inhabitants. Every one of them perfectly coiffed and dressed. Solo swallowed uncomfortably, feeling very out of place. He looked at Leia and was surprised to see his own discomfort mirrored on her face. But her demeanour changed as he watched. She held her head a little higher, back a little straighter, and was appraising the room with an air of arrogance that suggested she was deciding whether or not the establishment was good enough for her.

Solo smiled to himself. _She's a princess. This is what she was trained to do. If she can do it, so can I_! _And all of it on Lando's tab_! _What could be more perfect_? An image of Leia, naked on his bunk on the _Falcon_ and giggling at him over rations, leapt to mind. _Well… maybe that_ , he conceded.

The head waiter approached them, followed by what Solo assumed was his attendant. Solo put on his best haughty expression to ask for the table Lando said he had booked, but the man bowed and said, "My Lord, My Lady. Baron Calrissian informed us that you would be attending this evening."

 _Baron_? Solo thought with amusement. He watched as the attendant helped the princess remove her shawl, then the young man turned to him and Solo realised that he was waiting to take his coat. Shrugging it off, he watched young man catch it and drape it elegantly over one arm.

"I am Cerel Brusingemin," the head waiter continued. "I sincerely hope you enjoy your evening with us." He indicated the young man now holding the coats. "Ustryx here will see to your coats."

The young man moved away with the coats and Brusingemin indicated the main dining area.

"The Baron insisted you have his exclusive table," he said. "Please follow me."

He walked brusquely across the adjoining room and Leia followed, Solo close behind her. Feeling the other patrons' passing interest, Solo felt a moment of unbridled pride. _Yes, she's a_ _ **princess**_ _… and she's_ _ **mine**_.

Brusingemin led them to a table in an alcove with a panoramic window that gave them a stunning view of the city. Solo couldn't help but be impressed by the night-lit city and the opulence of their dining surrounds, and wondered if Leia was likewise impressed. Lando had definitely outdone himself this time, he thought sourly. This was exactly the sort of luxury he imagined a princess would feel at home with and he wondered if Leia missed it.

Brusingemin and several other waiters fussed around them as they sat. Ordering drinks, rearranging glassware then, abruptly, they were all gone. Solo heaved a sigh of relief and Leia smiled. He knew she sensed his discomfort, he also knew she understood it.

"Well," he said, settling into his seat and making himself as comfortable as the situation would allow. "This is nice."

"Yes it is," Leia agreed, softly. "Very nice."

The drink waiter arrived at their table with the wine they had chosen and proceeded to fill their glasses. This was not Solo's first experience with human waiters and he found himself remembering all the reasons he hated them. You could ignore a droid or tell it to piss off, but you couldn't do that to the 'live' ones. And they were so damned intrusive! As the drink waiter left, Ustryx brought a jug of water to their table, produced an electronic menu for each of them to peruse, then left again.

Solo met Leia's gaze across the table and found her regarding him fondly. He smiled. Lifting his wineglass he toasted softly, "To us."

Leia picked up her own glass and touched it to his. "To us," she agreed, and they each sipped from their respective glass.

The wine was too sweet for Solo's taste, but he had chosen it for Leia, not for himself, and he knew she preferred her wine sweet.

He smiled at her, suddenly awed by the situation and how beautiful she looked.

"If you'd told me 40 days ago we'd be here doing this, I'd never have believed you," he said.

Leia regarded him earnestly and said, "Neither would I…"

Solo took a fortifying swallow of his wine, then asked, "Are you sorry?"

Leia considered his question for, what seemed to Solo, a terrifyingly long time before looking at him and shaking her head.

"No," she said, then asked, "Are you?"

Solo gazed at her for a long moment, suddenly feeling very emotional. He managed a small smile and shook his head. "No."

They held each other's gaze, smiling softly, both aware of the giant leaps each had made in their small, intense time together.

"What are you thinking?" Solo asked, and was delighted to see her blush. As she lifted her wine glass to her lips, he grinned and admitted, "Me too." Deciding he needed to change the mood and topic, Solo leaned towards her across the table and whispered, "Think I should start a food fight?"

Leia, caught mid-swallow, choked on her drink and sputtered inelegantly. Once her coughing had subsided, Leia glanced at the nearby patrons who were now regarding her with distaste, then leaned towards him and whispered, "I don't think any of them would know how!"

Solo snickered and focussed his attention on the menu pad in his hand, flicking through the meal choices.

"What are you going to have?" he asked.

Leia replied, "The hot Corellian sausage looks good."

Solo frowned, unable to remember seeing that in the choices, and was flicking back through the menu looking for it when he realised she was being suggestive. He looked up at her to find her smiling at him wickedly.

Deadpan, she said, "It comes with a cream sauce." Then asked, "What are you going to have?"

Solo took a deep breath and ran his hand thoughtfully across his jaw. _Cream sauce_ … Two could play at this game.

"The Alderaanian pie looks pretty good," he said.

"I've heard that's very good," Leia agreed.

Solo waited for her to look up from her menu then said in a low seductive voice, "The _best_."

To his delight, she blushed. Solo grinned and Leia went back to studying her menu. She constantly surprised him and he loved her for it. _Gods help me when she_ _ **really**_ _loosens up_ , he thought.

A waiter passed their table pushing a repulsored trolley that was laden with sizzling takersh meat and the smell made Solo's mouth water. It had been a long time since he'd indulged in a meal of fresh takersh and he resolved to order it, but Leia's reaction to it halted his hands on the menu pad. She covered her mouth and nose with one hand and had gone decidedly pale.

Frowning, Solo asked, "What's wrong?"

She looked at him over her hand and seemed to need a moment to collect herself, then finally she lowered her hand and took a sip of her wine.

"Are you alright?" A minute ago she was being outrageously suggestive and now she looked… _sick_.

"It's the smell," she explained apologetically.

"The takersh?" Solo was surprised. He'd watched Leia eat foreign 'delicacies' that were downright revolting in the name of diplomacy and never bat an eyelid. And he knew she _liked_ takersh…

"It's okay; it's passing," she said.

"You feel sick?"

"For a moment." She smiled, trying to quiet his alarm. "It was the smell. I'm fine now."

"You're sure?" It would be just his luck that she'd managed to catch some nasty bug in the five minutes they'd been on Bespin and he would have to deliver her back to the Rebellion ill.

Leia nodded. "I'm fine."

Unconvinced, Solo muttered dryly, "Guess I won't be ordering the takersh then."

A flicker of worry flashed across Leia's face then she admitted, "I'd rather you didn't."

"Do you want to go back to the apartment?" he asked.

"And miss a meal of this calibre?" Leia shook her head emphatically. "Not a chance."

Solo gave her a lopsided grin and they both went back to studying their menus.

...

The meal was a gustatory delight. It had been a long time since Leia had eaten food of this standard and she suspected it would probably be a long time before she did so again. She savoured every bite, grinning at Solo's ecstatic groans with his first few mouthfuls.

Han was on his best behaviour. His manners all evening had been impeccable, yet somehow he managed to remain relaxed. Natural. Unselfconscious about the high-society patrons nearby who eyed him with disdain whenever he laughed out loud at something she said. Disdain for such a blatant display of emotion.

Watching him, Leia felt an outpouring of love and affection for him. Found herself eager to get back to the apartment so she could give him a blatant display of that emotion.

For the hundredth time she started to wonder how she would cope after he left to pay off the Hutt, but stopped the thought before it could fully manifest. Thinking about after Bespin would simply depress her and she was not prepared to ruin what little time she had left with him by sulking. So she savoured his company as much as the food. Memorised every unguarded expression on his face and revelled in the fact that he had let her in. Had allowed her to see and know the _real_ Han Solo.

Uncertain who or what might be listening, they'd made a point of not discussing anyone or anything to do with the Rebellion. It was something they practiced on all missions and a routine they fell into without even thinking about it. Instead they played games between courses, surreptitiously studying the elegant couples at neighbouring tables and guessing what they might be. Whether they were married, what professions they were in. Then inventing backgrounds that were outrageously inappropriate. Han was a master at inventing dialogue for them, which would leave Leia all but doubled over in an attempt to contain her laughter. And when she and Han both came up with exactly the same line for one of them, it was all they could do _not_ to fall out of their chairs.

It amazed Leia how alike their sense of humour was.

As the meal finished, Solo lounged back in his chair and gave his stomach a very satisfied pat.

"I could get used to this," he said.

Leia smiled and teased, "Getting a taste for the good life, Han?"

"I've always had a taste for the good life, Princess. Unfortunately, I seem to have spent most of my life _starving_."

Leia smiled. She knew he was speaking rhetorically but suspected there had been a few times in his life when the claim had been literal.

"But not tonight," she assured him, telling him with her eyes of further satiation to come and watched the flame of desire ignite in his.

He leaned across the table and touched her hand where it rested on the tablecloth. Leia watched, mesmerised by the electrical currents his touch generated through the back of her hand. Then she turned her hand over and entwined her fingers with his.

For a long time they said nothing, simply watched while their hands made love on the tabletop, then Solo finally said, "Ready to leave?"

Leia swallowed, clearing her throat to speak, but didn't trust her voice not to quaver. So she simply nodded.

...

Retracing their steps, they walked casually back along the balcony promenade towards their apartment. It wasn't quite as crowded and Leia paused in a particularly deserted area to look out across the city. Solo stepped up behind her.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Leia leaned into him and he draped his arms loosely around her waist.

"Savouring the moment," she said.

The air had turned chill and there was a stiff breeze along the promenade that was swiftly making a mess of her intricate hairdo. Long strands of her hair reached out on the wind. Solo nuzzled her temple, enjoying the warmth and softness of her skin in the chill night air, then tried to hold down the hair that kept sweeping across his face but Leia smiled and removed the pins holding the rest in place. Loose, it enveloped his face and shifted around her head like a creature with a life of its own. Warm, soft and smelling faintly of flowers.

"Being here with you like this," she said. She turned her head towards him slightly and he dragged his lips across her cheek. Leia reached up to touch his face. "Knowing that soon we'll be back in the room. Making love…" She smiled softly. "It's the anticipation I guess."

Solo captured her lips and for a long moment nothing existed for him but feel of her lips against his and the sweet warmth of her in his arms. Then he paused to look at her.

"It all feels so _normal_ ," she murmured. "Like we're two normal people. I can almost pretend-"

Solo knew where this would lead and cut her off. "Come on," he said gently, "you're gonna get all morbid, I can tell."

Leia smiled and disengaged. Solo brushed her forehead with his lips again then once more they walked arm-in-arm towards the apartment.

By the time they entered the apartment, the chill wind had turned into rain, the sound of it soft and rhythmic against the transparisteel skylight over the central lounge area. Solo shrugged off his coat and went straight to the comm to check the repair progress on the _Falcon_ with Chewie while Leia moved through to the bedroom.

She slipped her shoes off and dropped the shawl she'd been wearing draped around her shoulders onto the bed, then walked into the 'fresher. Dropping the pins and beads she had been wearing in her hair on the bench, she took the opportunity to relieve herself then studied her reflection in the mirror for a moment. Combed her fingers through the mess her hair had become in a cursory attempt to pull it back into some sort of order. It was windswept and wild looking and Leia smiled. Doubtless Han would love it.

When she returned to the bedroom, she could hear the warm timbre of Han's voice from the lounge area while he talked to the Wookiee and smiled at the flutter it started in her chest. The sound of his voice had always elicited some sort of flutter in her chest.

She moved to stand in front of the large balcony door. The city had taken on a misty, ethereal glow in the rain. Like a watercolour painting. And for a moment she was reminded of Coruscant. But the lights of civilisation were not as prominent here, and the lines of the city itself much gentler.

She heard him finish his conversation with the Wookiee and enter the bedroom, and turned to face him.

"So far, so good," he reported, sitting on the edge of the bed to pull his boots off. "Chewie thinks they'll have the hyperdrive finished by the morning."

"Is Threepio with him?"

Solo frowned. "Don't know. I guess." He smiled sheepishly and added, "To tell you the truth, I hadn't even missed him." He placed the small hold-out blaster he'd had hidden in his boot on the bedside table and got to his feet. "I'll ask Chewie in the morning." He grinned lasciviously at her and said, "We certainly don't want him _here_."

Leia wasn't thrilled at not knowing for sure where Threepio was, but the thought of Threepio's incessant interruptions had her agreeing emphatically with Han. She did _not_ want him here, and the chance that he would be anywhere other than the _Falcon_ was very slim. She dismissed all thoughts of the droid from her head and allowed herself to wallow in thoughts about the nearby Corellian.

"I gotta use the other 'fresher," her Corellian said suddenly and smiled apologetically. "I'm sure you don't want me stinking up this one."

"Very considerate of you," she agreed.

"Not used to all that rich food," he muttered as he left the room.

 _Neither am I,_ Leia thought as she turned back to her contemplation of the cityscape outside the balcony door. She was feeling vaguely nauseous again and felt sure it had something to do with all the rich food she'd just eaten.

The cityscape was little more than a smudge through the increasing precipitation now making trails down the glass. She leaned her forehead against the glass, the cold of it a sharp contrast to the warmth in the room, and traced a droplet with one finger. It had been a long time since she'd been able to enjoy something as simple as rain. To be on the inside, looking out at it instead of traipsing through it while struggling to survive one rebel base or another. Or enduring it while on missions into enemy territory.

She had always loved the sound of it against transparisteel; so different from the sound it made against glass. Sharper. More defined. Not unlike the sound it made on metal which, she thought wryly, was to be expected.

She considered undressing and getting into bed, but wasn't sure whether Han was planning to try out the spa first. For a moment she tried to remember the last time she'd had the luxury of a hot bath and couldn't. Probably before she left Alderaan…

Leia decided to circumvent that train of thought before it took hold and went to get herself a drink from the food dispenser in the lounge. The highly polished floor felt icy against her bare feet and, drinks in hand, she hurried back to the comfort and warmth of the carpeted bedroom.

She had got a glass of water for Solo as well as herself and placed it on the bedside table, beside his blaster. The gesture stuck her as a very 'wifely' one and she smiled, amused with herself. Her own drink in hand, Leia took up position by the balcony door again, absently de-tangling her hair with her fingers while she watched the rain.

The movement mirrored in the glass distracted her and, for a moment, she focussed on the ghost-like reflection of herself in the glass. In it she could see the girl-princess she had once been, largely because of the dress. But her eyes and the way she held her body were rebel leader. She could hear Solo moving through the apartment as he returned to the bedroom, securing the front door, turning off the lights in the other rooms, and smiled at her reflection. Rebel leader and _lover_. And was pleased to find a peaceful coexistence of the different facets that made up Leia Organa. She saw him reflected in the glass as he entered and turned to face him.

"That feels much better!" Han announced cheerily as he walked in, shutting the door behind him. He stopped just inside the door and regarded her with an intensity that almost made her blush.

Leia smiled, moved across to put her drink on her bedside table and touched the small panel that turned the glass in the balcony window opaque. Han approached her slowly. Waited for her to face him before placing himself just within reach. Leia wondered whether he was deliberately teasing her, but suspected he had done it to further inflame the anticipation in himself.

She took a step towards him and it was all he could take. Solo pulled her into his arms and crushed her body against his, kissing her as though he would devour her whole. Leia could feel his desire through his pants and her dress, pressed hard against her stomach, and rubbed herself sensuously against it. His hands were releasing the fasteners at the back of her dress and Leia released her hold on him to let it slide down her arms and pool at her feet.

She was standing naked before him and, for a moment, Solo seemed to regard her with awe, his eyes drinking her in. Then he was yanking the pullover off over his head, swiftly followed by his undershirt. Leia undid the fasteners on his pants and almost laughed with embarrassment when she realised her fingers were trembling, but Solo seemed unaware. The pants fell from his hips and Leia was both shocked and delighted to discover he wasn't wearing any underpants.

Grinning, Solo kicked the pants aside and pulled her hard against him once more, kissing her lips, her cheek, her throat. His erection jabbed her in the bellybutton and Leia backed away a little to adjust it.

"Wrong hole," she giggled.

Solo's lips and teeth were blazing a trail down her neck and he mumbled, "I'd better check it out."

Leia trembled as he worked his tongue down over each of her breasts, knelt before her and paid her bellybutton serious attention. But when he stuck his tongue into it, she shrieked and tried to pull away. Solo, of course, tightened his grip and worked his tongue harder.

"Han!" she begged, struggling against him. "It _tickles_!"

Solo stopped for a moment and looked at her, grinning. "Tickles?" He attacked her bellybutton again and Leia shrieked and wriggled helplessly.

" _Han_!"

She grabbed his hair with the intention of hurting him to make him stop but he moved the attention of his tongue to her hip and the line that ran between her belly and her leg. That tickled too, but in a much more pleasant way.

She tensed as he licked his way back up to her bellybutton, watched as he circled it and warned, "Han…"

Solo looked up at her and grinned. "You're right," he said. "Doesn't taste right at all. Gotta be the wrong hole."

Leia smirked. "Maybe you'd better keep looking?" she suggested.

He nuzzled towards her groin again. "Will it be worth my while?" he wanted to know.

Leia opened her mouth to assure him it would, but he had worked his nose into the cleft between her legs and was rubbing it against her clitoris, his breath a warm caress across her genitals. Leia trembled and whimpered, clinging to his head. It was all she could do to remain on her feet. Words were out of the question.

"Mmm," he murmured, pressing his face even harder against her. "Now _this_ smells right."

Leia closed her eyes. The sheer erotic nature of what Han was doing, of what she was _allowing_ him to do, rendered her speechless. That and how good it felt.

He put one arm behind her knees and tipped her onto the bed. For a moment, Leia was dimly aware of the coolness of the bedclothes against her skin, then he opened her legs and started working seriously with his mouth and everything except the feelings he was creating in her faded into insignificance.

Her orgasm was deep and wonderfully satisfying, and left her lying like a blissed out lump as Solo shifted her more properly onto the bed, then hovered over her, grinning.

Leia grinned foolishly back.

"Nice?" he asked, and she nodded, still unable to speak.

Solo kissed her tenderly then looked at her and whispered, "I love you, Leia."

Abruptly Leia sought out and found the resources to speak. Caressed his face as she responded huskily, "I love you, too, Han."

He kissed her passionately then. Hungrily. As though seeking to devour her. Desperately seeking to make her a part of himself. Leia wrapped her legs around him and there was a moment of pause as he slid inside her, then the desperation returned. As though he just couldn't get close enough. Solo ground his hips against hers while his mouth voraciously explored her face and Leia angled her hips to take him as far inside her as she possibly could. To make him a part of her.

The low rumble of thunder rolled overhead and the rain outside became torrential.

"Mmm," Solo growled. "Mood music."

"Turn off the lights," Leia urged. "And clear the glass."

Knowing how she loved to watch thunder storms, Solo reached for the bedside table and touched the appropriate panels. The lights dimmed slowly and the glass became transparent, and soon they were lit by nothing but the eerie light of the electrical storm and the occasional flash of lighting. It reminded Leia of the mission they had taken together, just before Ord Mantell, to meet with the rebel cell on Nerysai Five. What should have been a milk run had turned into several days spent in a cave, hiding from xenophobic natives and a full-scale tropical cyclone. The sexual tension between them had been unbearable.

Solo was obviously thinking along the same lines because he murmured, "Reminds me of that night on Nerysai Five. In the cave."

Leia nodded and stroked the hair around his ear. "Me too," she whispered.

Solo kissed her cheek, her temple and groaned, "I wanted to make love to you so _badly_ …"

"Me too," Leia agreed. A flash of lightning lit them briefly and she kissed him and added, "I wish we had."

Then none of the horribleness of Ord Mantell would have happened, apart from the bounty hunter. And maybe not even that. The bounty hunter would not have caught her alone if she hadn't stormed off after fighting with Han. And if she'd been sleeping with Han it was unlikely she'd have been so angry with him or he with her.

"Mmm," Solo mumbled against her breast. "All those nights on Hoth where we could have kept each other warm…"

"Mmm," Leia agreed whole-heartedly, stroking his shoulders and encouraging him to speed up. She had dreamt of having Han in her bunk on Hoth and for a moment she let herself imagine they were there; secretly taking pleasure in each other while the wheels of the rebellion turned outside the tiny space that was her cabin. Imagined Rebel Alliance personnel walking past her door…

A loud clap of thunder sent a surge of adrenaline through her body and Leia imagined herself with Han in the cave on Nerysai Five. Warm, despite the storm, comfortable in the bed of furs they had found… A flash of lightning lit him and the helplessly erotic expression on his face sent her spiralling towards orgasm, her thoughts becoming momentarily incoherent as sensation overwhelmed them.

Then she sensed it. The start of the 'oneness' that seemed to happen whenever they orgasmed together. Felt Han's awareness of it grow as their consciousness seemed to meld. His thrusting became arrhythmic and desperate and, pressing his cheek against hers, he stammered helplessly, "Leia… Leia…"

Leia projected her love for him and felt herself enveloped in his. Felt his desperation to keep her safe forever and let him see the depth of her own fear of losing him. And, with the cataclysm of orgasm, felt his desire to be with her forever. To be formally bonded. And cherished it.

Han rested his forehead against her neck for a moment, panting from the exertion, then held himself up on his forearms and looked at her. In the light from the electrical storm outside, most of his face was in shadow but for a glimmer of reflection on his eyes. His hair was hanging limply from his forehead, damp with perspiration. But Leia didn't need to be able to see his face clearly to know what he was thinking. Echoes of his thoughts from their 'melding' were still at the forefront of her brain.

Solo dipped his head to kiss her softly on the lips and Leia tightened the hold her legs had on his pelvis, wishing they could somehow stay joined forever.

He lay with her like that a moment longer, then rolled off her and onto his back. He was still breathing heavily and seemed to focus on the ceiling.

Leia rolled onto her side to look at him and he sounded vaguely guilty as he murmured, "You felt that thought, didn't you?"

Leia smiled softly. "The 'marry me' one?" she asked and Solo nodded. "I won't hold you to it," she assured him, despite holding the memory of his unguarded wish close to her own heart.

Solo looked at her and whispered thickly, "I want you to."

Leia traced his brow with her forefinger. "We'll see. Maybe we'll discuss it when you get back from Jabba."

"I love you," Solo murmured.

"I know."


	3. Chapter 3

**ONE NIGHT on BESPIN**

 _by LeelaStarsky._

CHAPTER THREE

Darth Vader stood by the panoramic window in his private apartment and stared out at the burgeoning electrical storm. He could feel them together. The princess and the smuggler. Could feel their joining. One of them was obviously a Force user and he suspected it was the princess. Had suspected her several years ago on the Death Star when she had managed to thwart his interrogation. It was a suspicion he had kept to himself, unwilling to share the possibilities she represented with his master.

His wife had held some small Force talent and, at the risk of outraging the Jedi Council, the young man he had been at that time had secretly instructed the woman he loved in some of the simpler skills of Force use. Skills that could well save her life one day. Skills she had used against him when she'd taken their son and abandoned her husband to the living hell he had chosen. And then she had abandoned their son as well. Had given him to the _Jedi_.

Vader had searched for the boy. To stand in view of his ex-wife and her new husband, Organa, with Luke at his side would have been, in his estimation, the sweetest form of revenge. But she'd had help from Kenobi and Yoda and they had vanished, taking the boy with them. Then she had died and vengeance hadn't seemed to matter any more. The boy had gone and Vader suspected that his master would have killed the child anyway.

And now, the daughter she had spawned with Bail Organa was disgracing herself with a common Corellian smuggler. Unconsciously using the Force to bond him to herself. Vader remembered that feeling. That feeling of total union with another being. The powerlessness of it sickened him now.

He would have to test her. If she was using the Force unconsciously like this, it would not be long before she discovered she could use it consciously. He was actually surprised that his son hadn't picked up on it. The princess and his son had reportedly become very close over the last three years. Plenty of time for someone with as much untrained Force sense, as his son appeared to have, to pick up on another using the Force. But the main reason he would have to test her was because soon his master would be aware of her too. And that would pose all sorts of dilemmas.

Luke's presence in the Force had sharpened dramatically since the attack on Hoth and Vader suspected his son had found someone to train him. Yoda perhaps. He was the only Jedi master unaccounted for.

It was a thought that set Vader pacing. That old fossil _should_ have died years ago. He had already lived longer than was normal for his species when the boy Vader had once been had first met him. That was a memory that sent waves of anger through the Dark Lord. _If only Qui Gon had lived_ …

The image of the little green vreldt _indoctrinating_ his son infuriated Vader and he vowed that this time he would have the boy. With the princess and the Corellian as bait, the boy could not fail to come. And then he would have him. Would teach him the correct way of using the Force. The efficient way. Much as it would undoubtedly hurt the boy, he would break his ideals and teach him how things really were. And for Vader that would be the easy part. All he would have to do to shatter the boy's faith in Kenobi and Yoda would be to tell him the _truth_.

But if the boy _was_ being trained he would be more difficult to contain. Capture was one thing, although the Jedi in the past had proven ludicrously suicidal. But, assuming that Luke had not yet been drilled with that form of escape, containment was a very real concern. Holding a trained Jedi was close to impossible. In Vader's experience, cryogenic suspension had been the only successful method in the past. Unconsciousness was fleeting, and drugs and poisons in a fully trained Jedi tended to be inconsequential. But a 'frozen' Jedi could be held for as long as was wanted. Long enough for a trip to Coruscant.

There were cryo facilities on board the _Executor_ , but Vader's ship and the other Star Destroyers had jumped out-system to avoid detection by the _Millennium Falcon_ , and had been ordered not to return until Skywalker was safely in custody. Having to depend on whatever cryo facilities were available in the city did not thrill the Dark Lord, and he decided that now was as good a time as any to bother the administrator about it.

...

Leia had insisted on trying out the spa and, despite his post-coital desire to sleep, Solo had followed her in. She had then insisted on 'pleasuring' him and, despite his protests that she would not get a 'rise' out of him for at least half an hour, the minute her mouth had touched his manhood Solo's every sense had stood to attention.

Leia had admitted that her limited education about such things had come from a few pornographic holos but no holo, no matter how educative, could teach her the skills she seemed to have developed over the last few weeks. The things she did with her tongue… and the way she ran her hands all over him while she was doing it, involving his entire body in the experience, was almost too erotic to endure. The girl was a natural. A goddess.

Han Solo had experienced sex more times in his life and in more exotic ways than he could count, but none of it compared to sex with Leia. Sex with Leia was a mind, body and soul experience.

Holding her now, as he spiralled down from his climax, Solo couldn't bare the thought of leaving her. So, like he did with all painful emotions, he pushed it aside. Pretended it wasn't there. Focussed instead on the sweetness of the moment. On the girl sitting in his lap kissing and caressing him. And loved her with every fibre of his being.

He sighed contentedly, luxuriating in the deep, warm water while the electrical storm continued to rage outside, the intermittent flashes that heralded the loud crashes and rumbles lighting up the 'fresher through the overhead skylight.

"Feel good?" Leia wanted to know and Solo chuckled. As if there could be any doubt.

"Yeah," he said. "Feel very good."

"Good," she said, and smirked.

She started to shift off his lap and, sliding out of her, he suddenly felt bereft.

"You?" he asked, caressing her arm as she moved to sit beside him.

Leia submerged until only her head was above water, closed her eyes and sighed happily. "Oh, yes."

Her hair was a dark cloud in the bubbling water and Solo absently ran his hand through it. She was watching the storm through the skylight above them and Solo looked up as well. Overhead the clouds were roiling and, abruptly a great fork of lightning stabbed across the sky in full view.

Excited, Leia gripped his arm. "Did you see that?"

"Uh huh."

The crash of sound that accompanied the electrical discharge a moment later crackled and boomed over their heads.

Han Solo was in no way afraid of electrical storms, but the booming and crashing sometimes reminded him of less favourable times on Corellia. Of the months after his father had left and the ill fated 'student rebellion' that had gripped the entire city of Coronet. Watching the Empire callously mow down children his own age had affected him deeply. No matter how stupid he had thought the students and their ideals to be, none of them had deserved to be slaughtered like that.

He looked at Leia, seeking to block out the memories and found her regarding him. He got the feeling she sensed his disquiet and gave her a reassuring smile. Sitting up, she caressed his face. Comforting but not smothering. Then she snuggled into his side and he put an arm around her.

He thought about the revelation of his desire to bond with her. It had been as much of a surprise for him as it was for her, and he wondered where the desire had come from. He had never wanted to bond with anyone before, had always assumed he never would. It just wasn't in his nature to want to be so tied down, so _committed_.

And Leia was right. Things could well be different between them after he'd been to Jabba. She would still have her rebellion and he might well be dead.

A profound regret settled over Solo. He did not want to end the joy they had found in each other's arms. Did not want to leave her. Ever.

...

Darth Vader's demand for a cryogenic facility had sent Lando Calrissian into something of a flat panic. There was nothing suitable in Cloud City. Nothing at all. They had one cryo bed in the largest Med Centre, but that was a slow process, designed for slowing the progress of bacteria and viruses until they could be analysed and treated. And it required the full cooperation of the patient. They certainly had nothing that could snap-freeze a Jedi. If they did have, Calrissian thought sourly, he'd have been the first in line to push Vader in.

Sighing he leaned back and rested his head on the back of his chair. He was tired beyond belief and beginning to feel like he had been wearing the same clothes for a month. He needed to sleep, if only for ten minutes. His aide, Lobot, was investigating their cryo alternatives and Calrissian decided he would risk napping until Lobot got back to him. Or Vader made some new demand…

...

Watching the sleeping princess and her Corellian lover on the surveillance screen, Darth Vader was struck by how like her mother the young woman was. He had always seen the resemblance, especially when the young princess had joined the Imperial Senate. But, with her hair loose across her pillows and her body relaxed in the embrace of her lover, Vader couldn't help but be reminded of a time when his wife had looked just like that. When she had looked at him the way the Princess of Alderaan now looked at her Corellian pirate.

He reached out to touch her mind with the Force. Asleep and unguarded, her mind was far more likely to let him in but, as he fully expected, the barriers were still there. Barriers designed almost specifically against _him_. Barriers that could have only been put there by his _wife_. Angrily, Vader probed harder and, to his surprise, the princess jerked into wakefulness. She had _felt_ him. Impressed and alarmed all at once, Vader withdrew. Whether or not she could put a label on what she had felt, the last thing he wanted to do was alert her to his presence.

His intrusion had disturbed her deeply, it seemed. Reduced her to tears in fact. Fascinated, Vader increased the zoom on the spy droid so he could see her face clearly. The girl was definitely weeping. For a moment she sought solace in the arms of her lover, but he slept on oblivious. Then she left the bed.

Vader switched screens, following her into the refresher. Why had his wife constructed a barrier in her daughter's mind specifically against _him_? It was a puzzle that intrigued him.

...

Leia jerked awake and frowned at the dark, storm-laden sky outside the large bedroom window, wondering what had woken her. It was still raining heavily and the storm was still rumbling in the distance. She took a deep breath and looked across at Han, and felt something she could only describe as depression settle over her. He was snoring softly beside her and Leia shifted herself closer to him, snuggled into his chest as his arms automatically embraced her, and wondered how she would bear not waking up in his arms after he had left to deal with Jabba.

Deep desolation swept through her and she sobbed involuntarily. Rolling away from him, Leia struggled to still her tears and wondered what the hell was wrong with her. Then it slammed into her, full force. The feeling she had dubbed 'the Death of Alderaan'. Like being swallowed up by a thick, cloying blackness. A feeling she hadn't felt with this intensity for months, maybe even years. Unable to contain her distress, Leia fled to the 'fresher.

Her sobs echoed loudly in the still room and she hurriedly shut the door, then wept like her heart was breaking. What the hell was wrong with her? Leia sat on the edge of the dimly glowing spa bath, hugging herself, rocking, and desperately trying to cry quietly.

What was _wrong_ with her?

Leia just couldn't fathom where the feeling of desolation had come from. And why so suddenly? She and Han had just spent nearly four _weeks_ making love; the evening just gone had been particularly good, so _why_ was she feeling like this?

 _Because he's_ _ **leaving**_ _you_ , a part of her said. _Leaving and may never come back. He said so himself_. The thought of living a day without him, let alone forever, paralysed her. And that dependency frightened her terribly.

The need to relieve herself broke through her misery long enough for her sit on the commode. That accomplished she remained where she was, aware only of her all-encompassing despair.

Leia had no idea how long she'd been sitting there weeping, didn't hear Solo call her from the other room, but looked up guiltily when he opened the door and hastily wiped her face with her hands.

"Leia?" Solo turned on the light, momentarily blinding them both, reset it for a more comfortable level and approached her, full of shocked concern. "Leia, what's wrong?"

She tried to smile, failed dismally, and sobbed, "I don't know!"

"Are you hurt?" She shook her head as she stood up and he gripped her shoulders. "Then why-?"

"I don't _know_ why!" she sobbed. "I just woke up feeling…" _like my universe is falling apart_ "…like this."

Solo pulled her into his arms and she clung to him. "Is it something _I've_ done?" he asked with trepidation. _Or haven't done_ , he thought. He felt her head shake against his chest but she remained silent which Han took as meaning that he was not guilt-free. He gently moved her to arms length and explained, "Hang on; I gotta pee."

He sighed as he watched his stream flow into the commode, his mind a turmoil of disconnected images, then frowned as he realised there was blood in the toilet.

"Leia, you're bleeding."

Leia looked at him then moved closer and looked in the toilet.

"Is that normal?" he asked tensely.

"Menses," she murmured thickly and moved away. "It _is_ due, I guess…" _One more thing to deal with_!

Solo looked at her reflection in the large mirror over the basins as he washed his hands and asked, "Could that have anything to with this? Hormones, I mean?" He turned and smiled gently at her. "You were pretty scary last time." He immediately regretted his words and almost cringed as the hurt in her eyes seemed to grow exponentially. "I'm sorry," he said, reaching for her. "I didn't mean that."

"No, you're right… Shooting Chewie has got to be one of the stupidest things I've ever done."

"It was an honest mistake," he assured her, drawing her towards him again.

Leia chuckled, despite her misery, and Han chuckled with her. Once again this amazing man had sought her out in her most desperate hour… and made her laugh. _I love you, nerfherder_!

"Come on, sweetheart," he said, leading her back to the bedroom. "Come back to bed."

...

Solo woke with the dawn and looked at the girl beside him. She was on her side facing him and all he could see of her was her face and her hair, the rest of her snuggled deep in the bedclothes. Dawn light had painted the room pink and apricot, and Leia looked like a fine ceramic doll. The white of the bedclothes and darkness of her hair accentuated the paleness of her skin and the warm red of her slightly parted lips.

For a long time he lay, simply gazing at her, wallowing in her presence. Then, as he reached out and gingerly touched her face with his fingertips, Han Solo felt his heart lodge in his throat. Never in his life had he felt such an outpouring of love for anyone; had not thought himself capable of it. He wanted to give this woman everything, to hold her and keep her safe forever. While Leia had claimed not to understand her tears of the night before, Solo felt sure they were because he was leaving. And all his sane and sensible reasoning for leaving her while he went to pay off the Hutt seemed to have evaporated with the sunrise. He loved her more than life itself and knew he could never leave her. How he would deal with Jabba, he wasn't sure, but he couldn't leave Leia. Not now. Not when they had just found each other. Presenting himself to the Hutt as a sacrificial offering suddenly seemed like the most ludicrous waste of his life imaginable, and Solo had found a very real reason to live.

Luke's words on the Death Star came back to him suddenly. The kid had assured him at the time that rescuing the princess would earn him more wealth than even a money hungry Corellian could imagine. And the knowledge that Leia loved him made him feel like the richest man in the galaxy. For a moment Solo wondered if the kid could have known, then smiled mentally to himself. Maybe it was a Jedi thing.

He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek, enjoying its soft warmth against his lips, then he carefully slid out of the bed. The storm seemed to have blown itself out in the early hours of the morning leaving the sky clear and full of promise.

He left the room quietly and went to use the 'fresher on the other side of the lounge so he wouldn't wake her. Then he checked in with Chewie to see how the repairs were coming along.

...

When Leia woke, the room was full of early morning sunlight. She looked for Han and found him lying beside her, studying her intently. She smiled sleepily and got a brilliant smile in return.

"Mornin', beautiful," he said.

He had thrown the covers off himself and was lying on his side, facing her, completely naked and gloriously visible in the bright sunlight. Leia took a moment to drink him in; like a treasured landscape or vista. Every curve, every muscle delineated.

He must have opened a section of the window because fresh, warm air was stirring through the room. Leia filled her lungs and pushed the bedcovers from her own body, stretching and luxuriating in the amount of space she had to play in and the feel of the air caressing her skin.

"It's stopped raining," she observed, then looked back at Han and found his eyes greedily traversing her body.

She smiled encouragingly and Solo propped his head up on one forearm, the look in his eyes swiftly becoming predatory. She matched his intensity, focussing deeply on the powder green depths of his eyes, then tried to stifle her smirk as he straddled her body with his arms.

"Do you have any idea what you _do_ to me?" he growled.

Leia grinned and reached down, caressing his erection. "Some," she said.

Solo took a shuddering breath and closed his eyes, revelling in the exquisite touch, then opened them again as she directed him between her legs, following her lead as she guided him into her.

"Ahhh, Leia," he moaned, and abandoned himself to sensation.

"Han," she agreed breathlessly.

She seemed to want it as fast and hard as he did, and within minutes they had both climaxed and were gasping in the afterglow, Solo still above her and within her.

He lifted his head and focussed on her face, touched his nose to hers and whispered, "I love you."

Leia smiled softly, hugging him tighter, and whispered back, "I love you too."

Solo felt himself slide out of her and rolled to one side, keeping her in his embrace, her head pillowed on his shoulder.

"There's no blood," he observed quietly.

Leia shrugged. "Sometimes it takes a couple of days to start properly."

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked, still concerned about her tears during the previous night.

"I never want to get out of bed again," she replied sleepily. "In fact, I think I might stay here for the rest of my life."

"Mmm," Solo agreed, wishing they could do just that. "Sounds good."

"Except for the 'fresher," Leia said, suddenly sitting up and smiling apologetically. She leaned over and kissed him, promising, "Back in a second." Then stood up and paused, grimacing.

"What is it?" Solo asked, frowning.

"I don't know how _anyone_ gets pregnant when it just runs down your legs," she quipped and headed for the 'fresher.

Solo chuckled after her, "What did you think happened?"

"I don't know," she said pausing at the door and looking back at him. "I guess I thought it stayed _in_ there."

 _Well that_ _ **would**_ _make sense_ , Solo supposed. _I guess some of it must_ … _Enough to_ -

Leia shrieked as she opened the door, flinching from the brilliant sunshine filling the 'fresher. Using the control by the door, she hurriedly increased the opacity of the large overhead skylight until the light diffused to a more tolerable level then looked sheepishly back at Han. He grinned.

"Have you spoken to Chewie?" she called from the 'fresher.

"Yeah," he replied.

"And?"

"He wants me at the _Falcon_ ," he muttered to himself, knowing Leia wouldn't be able to hear him.

He heard the toilet cycle and listened as she washed her hands.

"And?" she repeated as she hurried back to the warmth of the bed and his embrace.

"He needs me."

"Did you ask him about Threepio?"

Solo winced. "Ah, I forgot. Sorry. I'm sure he's there, but I promise I'll check."

Leia frowned but nodded. Solo held her a little tighter and came to the conclusion that they were both feeling reluctant about facing the day. Both sensing the end of their time together…

"You feel it too," Leia murmured.

He wanted to tell her he'd changed his mind. That he couldn't leave her. But he couldn't. Not yet. So he simply nodded against the top of her head and held her close.

...

By the time he got back from his inspection of the _Falcon_ to join her for breakfast, Leia was up and dressed. She was wearing the other red dress that Lando had sent, with a white lace cloak that fell all the way to the floor, and her hair was up in a flattering arrangement of plaits. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked, but she was pacing in front of the panoramic window as he entered the apartment, tension and irritation rampant in her body language.

"The ship is almost finished," he told her happily. "Two or three more things and we're in great shape."

"The sooner the better," Leia said, turning her unfocussed ire on him. "Something's wrong here. No one has seen or knows anything about Threepio, and he's been gone too long to have gotten lost!"

Solo rolled his eyes at her sudden attack. When he had got to the Falcon an hour ago and reported back to her that the droid wasn't there, he knew Leia would not take it well. Leia had obviously spent the last hour harassing the port master and local stewards about the missing protocol droid, and Solo felt a moment of pity for them. Nevertheless, he did not want to aggravate her and sought a more soothing approach.

"Relax," he said, holding her shoulders, then kissed her fondly on the forehead. "I'll talk to Lando and see what I can find out."

Leia pulled away from him, only slightly mollified by his affectionate gesture. "I don't _trust_ Lando," she said, then tried to rein in her irritation by sitting on the couch nearby.

"Well, I don't trust him either," Solo said, sitting beside her. "But he _is_ my friend. Besides, we'll soon be gone."

Leia's eyes were darkly serious as she said, "And then you're as good as gone, aren't you?"

 _And so we come to the crux of the matter_ , Solo thought, meeting her gaze but unable to think of anything he could say that would lessen her pain. Even if he told her he was seriously reconsidering his decision to leave immediately, her current mood would simply have set her arguing with him about it.

The main door opened suddenly and they both looked up to see Chewbacca walk in carrying a box full of droid parts. _Golden_ droid parts.

Leia recognised her droid and got to her feet, dismayed. "What happened?"

Chewie set the box down on the table. [I don't know what the hell he did this time,] he growled irritably, [but, it looks like the stupid droid got himself blasted! I found him in the droid reclamation junk pile!]

"Where?" Solo said, then clarified for Leia in case she hadn't managed to translate, "Found him in a junk pile?"

Leia touched a piece of the droid and lamented, "What a mess!" She looked at the Wookiee and asked, "Chewie, do you think you can repair him?"

Chewbacca studied the mess of droid parts and looked anything but keen about the project. He gave the princess a non-committal shrug.

"Lando's got people who can fix him," Solo offered, hoping to get his friend off the hook.

Leia almost sneered as she said, "No thanks."

Solo sighed and wished she would let this irrational distrust of Lando go. A little was fine, sensible even. But Leia was taking it to a ridiculous level.

His train of thought was broken as the door chime sounded and Lando himself walked in.

Calrissian must have picked up the tension between them because he stopped just inside the door and apologised, "I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?"

Leia self-consciously straightened the cloak dress she was wearing and said unconvincingly, "Not really."

If he picked up her tone, Lando chose to ignore it because he turned his attention fully on her and gushed admiringly, "You look absolutely beautiful!"

Solo rolled his eyes and put a hand over his mouth to stop himself from groaning out loud when Lando added, "You truly belong here with us among the clouds."

"Thankyou," Leia said coolly.

"Would you care to join me for a little refreshment?" Lando asked her and proffered his arm. Solo felt his hackles rise and got to his feet. Calrissian _knew_ he was in a relationship with Leia; was he deliberately trying to piss him off?

Leia glanced warily at Solo as she took Calrissian's arm, but Chewie barked enthusiastically at the mention of food.

"Everyone's invited, of course," Lando assured them and Chewie hastily put down the bits of Threepio he was holding and got to his feet. Lando frowned at the remains of the droid and asked, "Having trouble with your droid?"

"No," Solo said, sharing an awkward glance with Leia. "No problem." He held his arm out for her and she took it gratefully. Solo looked innocently at Lando and asked, "Why?"

They walked out, arm-in-arm and Chewie followed them.

Calrissian spared another puzzled glance for the box of droid parts then followed them out, the door closing behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

**ONE NIGHT on BESPIN**

 _by LeelaStarsky._

CHAPTER FOUR

As she walked between Solo and Calrissian towards the dining room, Leia tried to quell her feeling of unrest. Han was probably right. She probably _was_ worrying unnecessarily. But the fact of the matter was that, despite the droid's penchant for pissing people off, Threepio had never quite managed to get himself blasted to bits before. Solo and Chewie, and possibly even Luke, would probably claim that to be a miracle in itself but, nevertheless, it disturbed her. Particularly since it had happened _here_ and with no obvious provocation.

Leia wished she'd had more time to quiz Chewie about it further, but she was not about to discuss it in front of Calrissian.

There was some small talk between them about the acceptability of their accommodations and dinner the night before, but Leia wanted to know more about Cloud City and how it managed to avoid Imperial interest.

Calrissian seemed more than happy to prattle on about the positive aspects of his city and, as he led them into a section that was part of the administration complex, he explained, "So you see, since we're a small operation, we don't fall into the…uh…jurisdiction of the Empire."

Leia sensed a chink in his armour and pounced. "So you're part of the mining guild then?"

"No," he admitted, and Leia sensed a definite evasiveness from him. "Our operation is small enough not to be noticed… which is advantageous for everybody since our customers are anxious to avoid attracting attention to themselves."

 _Isn't everyone_? Leia thought facetiously, but held her tongue.

They turned into a long, wide hallway, off which were several pairs of massive doors. Calrissian showing off for Han's benefit Leia supposed, but found herself disturbed by the inappropriateness of such a display of prosperity. They were going for _breakfast_ for goodness sake!

As they approached one of the massive doors Chewbacca sniffed the air in alarm and growled at his partner.

Ignoring him, Solo asked, "Aren't you afraid the Empire's gonna find out about this little operation and shut you down?"

"That's always been a danger," Calrissian agreed. "It looms like a shadow over everything we've built here. But things have developed that will ensure security." He paused with his hand on the panel that opened the doors. "I've just made a deal that will keep the Empire out of here forever."

Leia looked at him. She was aghast that someone with his apparent business acumen would even consider making such a preposterous claim. Then the doors opened and it became painfully apparent just what Calrissian's 'deal' must have entailed.

At the far end of the long dining room, at the head of an elegantly set table, sat the Dark Lord of the Sith himself.

The Wookiee roared and Leia's flight reflex kicked in as Vader got to his feet. She jerked her hand off Solo's arm but he gripped her wrist protectively with his left hand in the same heartbeat as his right hand cleared his blaster from its holster and fired off two blasts. Both hit the Dark Lord, yet somehow exploded harmlessly against his upraised palm, then an unseen force ripped the blaster out of Solo's hand and swept it across the room and into Vader's.

The shock of losing his blaster so dramatically caused Solo to drop Leia's hand, and he watched with dread and disbelief as the Dark Lord calmly placed the blaster on the table.

"We would be honoured if you would join us," Vader said.

Stepping out of an anteroom to stand beside the Dark Lord was Boba Fett, the bounty hunter from Ord Mantell, while in the hallway behind them a squad of stormtroopers had moved into place.

Solo threw his meanest look at Calrissian who responded, "I had no choice. They arrived right before you did. I'm sorry."

Solo traded a heartfelt look with Leia. They were both aware of the momentous calamity that had so suddenly overtaken them and knew there was no escape. Not this time.

He took her hand and glared at the administrator again. "I'm sorry too," he said, then he and Leia stepped into the dining room.

...

Surprisingly enough, Vader chose not to bandy words with them, instructing Calrissian to remove them immediately to a prison cell. Even more surprising, they got to _share_ a cell. Solo had sarcastically surmised that this was because anyone who had seen or heard anything of the Imperials arrival in the city had been summarily imprisoned, leaving the detention centre uncharacteristically full.

Calrissian had simply scowled at him and left. Solo suspected his _friend_ was feeling guilty. He _looked_ like he was feeling guilty. _And so he damn well should_!

Then the door had shut and the full impact of their predicament hit him. Lando had sold them out. Into Imperial incarceration, undoubtedly followed by torture to force them to reveal what information they knew about the Rebellion. And, then ultimately, execution. For a moment Solo wondered what he could do to piss Vader off enough so that the Dark Lord would jump them straight to the third step. Then he looked at Leia and decided he wanted a chance to kill Lando first. Solo didn't care what happened to himself, but what Lando had brought upon Leia… He couldn't even begin to imagine what Vader would do to her.

The princess's dignified demeanour had vanished with the closure of the cell door. To say she looked terrified was an understatement. She was hugging herself in a vain attempt to hold herself together, and Solo went straight to her and wrapped his arms around her. The truth was he needed to hold her as much as she needed to be held, but he also knew this was bringing back all too vivid memories of her Death Star incarceration.

For a moment Leia resisted him. But just for a moment. Then she burrowed into his embrace, trembling helplessly. Solo held her tightly, unable to think of anything he could say that would make her feel better. He couldn't say that everything would be fine, that they'd escape somehow, because it wasn't going to happen. Not now. So he simply held her and said nothing, and shared an understanding look with Chewbacca.

Leia pushed away from him, suddenly angry. "Some _friend_ ," she snapped.

Solo initially thought she was talking about _him_. Then he realised she meant Calrissian. And that she was trying to control her emotions the best way she knew how; by getting angry.

"I _knew_ we couldn't trust him," she said.

"You were right," Solo conceded sadly.

Leia touched a small panel on the wall and a hard, metal bunk slid out. Hugging herself once more, she sat on the edge of it. Solo moved over and sat next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"I can't do this, Han," she said in a very small voice. "Not again…"

"Don't think about it."

"But I know what to expect this time," she argued. "I know what he'll do…"

"Don't think about it."

"Stop saying 'don't think about it'!" she yelled, pulling away from him and starting to pace. "How can I _not_ think about it?"

Answering her literally, Solo said, "By thinking about something else."

Leia glared at him. "And what do you suggest?"

"I can think of one or two things," he said in a low voice as he approached her. "Last night for example."

Leia glanced awkwardly at Chewbacca who was watching them carefully, then shook her head emphatically. "If I think about that I'll…" She put her hand to her mouth suddenly to hide the trembling of her lip, then took a deep breath and finished quietly, "I'll cry."

Solo swept her into his embrace again and held her close. "No you won't," he said, softly touching his lips to the top of her head. "You're strong, Leia. Stronger than all of us."

Leia shook her head against his chest. "No."

"Yes," he insisted. "You are."

She stayed in his embrace a little longer, then gently disengaged. Returning to the metal bunk, she pulled her flimsy cloak tighter against the chill in the cell and sat on the edge again. Solo sat beside her and wondered how long they would be left to wait. The waiting was an integral part of the torture, he knew, and although it was definitely easier to endure than physical pain, in its own way the mental pain could be just as agonising.

Solo became aware that Leia's trembling had turned into very definite shivering. The cell was surprisingly cold and her dress was only a fine material, hardly designed to keep out the cold, so Solo removed his jacket and put it around her shoulders.

"But you'll get cold," she protested.

"Not as quickly as you will," he assured her.

[Would have helped if we'd got to have breakfast,] Chewbacca warbled quietly and Solo felt Leia shudder at the prospect of sharing a meal with Vader. Solo looked at his partner with mild disgust.

"Good one, Chewie," he muttered. "Thing's can't be too bad if you're still thinking about your stomach."

Chewbacca made a rude hand gesture at him and Solo threw one straight back, then the door opened suddenly and they all jumped.

An Imperial officer and a stormtrooper entered carrying the box of Threepio parts and dumped it on the floor. On top of it all was the princess' snowsuit and boots. The officer pointed at it and said, "The administrator sent the lady's clothes." Then he sneered and added, "Seems he wants the _new_ ones back."

 _Lando, you lousy son-of-a-sith_ , Solo thought.

Chewbacca roared threateningly at the Imperials and the stormtrooper's blaster immediately covered him.

"No, please," the officer begged as he unholstered his own weapon and pointed it at the Wookiee, his voice full of ridicule and disdain. "Allow me. It really would make my day, you know."

Solo pulled the Wookiee into line with a fierce look. He was trying to figure out how he could wrestle the blaster from the officer without getting shot by the stormtrooper. Not that they were likely to get very far even if they did manage to overpower both Imperials and escape from their cell. Still, it was more hope than he'd had a moment ago so it was better than nothing.

Neither Imperial had moved and it quickly became obvious to Solo that they would remain there until the princess had changed her clothes. Leia must have come to the same conclusion because she abruptly shed her cloak and the burgundy slippers.

Solo couldn't see the trooper's eyes, but the way the officer was looking at the princess while she removed the long pants she'd been wearing under the dress made his blood boil. He stepped into the officer's line of sight, ostensibly to pick up the snowsuit and hand it to Leia, but really to block the man's view of her.

"Get out of the way, you rebel scum!" the officer snapped, waving his blaster threateningly at Solo's head.

Solo scowled at him then turned to give Leia her suit. He was still in the Imperial's line of sight but, with his back to the officer, could no longer see the man's impotent threats.

The officer took a step sideways to clear his view as Leia, planning to at least remain half dressed at all times, started to put her feet into her suit.

But the officer shook his head. "No, no, no," he said. "No cheating."

The eyes Leia turned on him were colder than Hoth and Solo half expected to see the man freeze on the spot. But instead the officer took a step closer to the princess, openly leering.

"Been watching you all night, _sweetheart_ ," he said, then added nastily, "We _all_ have."

A surge of adrenaline rushed through Solo as comprehension rapidly sank in, swiftly followed by revulsion and blind fury at the violation that had been visited on them. They'd been _bugged_. Despite his scan of the apartment, somehow the Imperials had managed to 'bug' it.

"Best porno I've seen in _years_ ," the Imperial taunted.

Leia seemed to recover from the revelation quicker than Solo and replied, "Then it's nothing you haven't already seen."

The Imperial took a step closer. "Maybe I need to teach you the difference between a smuggler and a real man, Princess. Bet you'd love to know what an Imperial cock tastes like."

Solo's sense of reason vanished and he slammed his fist into the Imperial's face. The officer lurched backwards with blood pouring from his nose and Solo felt a flare of satisfaction to see that he had broken the man's nose. He swung a follow-up punch at the officer's stomach but was foiled from connecting by Chewbacca who grabbed the Imperial by the collar of his jacket and dragged him out of the Corellian's path. The stormtrooper, who had briefly taken his aim off the Wookiee when Solo hit the officer, assumed the Wookiee was running amok and promptly fired a stun blast at him. Chewbacca collapsed in a heap.

Solo was gathering himself for another swing as the officer disentangled himself from the Wookiee and the stormtrooper hastily switched his aim to Solo. The Imperial officer, having caught the edge of the stun blast, had to struggle to stay on his feet but managed to glare at the Corellian.

Caught between a desire to deck the little prick and the need to stay 'un-stunned' for the sake of the princess, Solo fought to keep his rage under control and couldn't believe it when Leia seemed to taunt the Imperial by removing her dress.

"I don't know," she said, now in only her underwear. She took a step closer to the Imperial and asked, "Do you think it'd be worth your life?"

The spectre of Vader suddenly loomed large in everyone's mind and the officer backed off, wiping ineffectually at his bloodied and broken nose. Leia pulled on her snowsuit and zipped it shut. She then handed the Imperial the clothes she had borrowed from Calrissian and smiled grimly as the Imperial proceeded to bleed all over them. With any luck, Solo hoped, the sight of the blood on the clothes would make Calrissian feel even worse.

The Imperial and the stormtrooper left without another word.

Leia looked at Solo and he shook his head. "I'm sorry," he murmured. He bent to check Chewbacca and Leia helped him straighten the Wookiee's limbs into a more comfortable position. Solo couldn't believe the inadequacy of the word, but it was the only thing he could think of to say. Sorry that his scanner hadn't picked up the surveillance devices. Sorry that the Imperials had been watching them make love, probably since they arrived yesterday. Sorry that the _Falcon's_ hyperdrive had died and that he'd had to bring them here. Sorry that Vader could protect her from the threat of rape better than _he_ could…

Solo sat on the edge of the hard bunk and wiped a hand across his face. "I'm so sorry," he repeated.

Leia picked up his jacket from where it had fallen on the floor and put it over his shoulders as she sat beside him.

"It's not your fault," she said, and Solo couldn't help wincing at his own well used line. "At least I don't feel as cold," she added softly.

Solo looked at her and wondered how things had turned from him comforting her to her comforting him.

"He'll want to take us to Coruscant, Han."

 _Vader._ "He'll want to take _you_ to Coruscant," Solo corrected, pulling his jacket on again. "I got the distinct feeling I'm headed straight to Jabba."

The look of worry on Leia's face increased dramatically. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted as the door opened again. This time it was no social visit; this time there were two officers and a squad of stormtroopers. This time they meant business.

They were led to a room at the end of the cell bay and both instantly recognised the scan grid set up there. Pain by nerve induction. The sort of pain that felt like you were being flayed or burned alive without doing actual physical damage.

Leia regarded it with blatant terror while Solo thought that if he had to watch them torture Leia with it, he didn't know what he would do. Then Vader stepped into the room, closely followed by Boba Fett.

"Put him on the grid," Vader said matter-of-factly, "and take the princess to the observation room."

Solo winced. So it was him they were going to torture and they were going to make Leia _watch_.

 _Just like Alderaan_.

He looked at Leia and found her looking at him with outright despair. _Oh, Sweetheart_ … "You can do this," he assured her as they dragged him towards the grid. She was shaking her head. "You can do this," he said, and she was led from the room.

Well, at least he couldn't tell them anything useful about the Rebellion…

As stormtroopers strapped him to the upright platform, Solo stared at the glowing panel in front of him and swallowed the sudden bile that rose in his throat. _You can do this_! he told himself. _It's only pain_ …

Vader was staring at him. _Sadistic son-of-a-bitch,_ Solo thought. He wanted to glare back at the Dark Lord, but the glow from the panel was increasing with the hum of power being fed to it as one of the officers adjusted the settings. Maybe he could work up enough saliva to spit at the Sith bastard before it started. Solo felt his scalp prickle as he broke out in a sweat.

The platform started to tilt forward and Solo's breathing became a rapid pant in anticipation of the pain. Vader moved closer and touched the panel, activating the scanner which rapidly mapped Solo's nervous system. Almost immediately, the grid started firing bursts of electricity at him.

Solo was aware of Vader leaning in close, watching him, and part of him was waiting for the Sith Lord to start asking questions. But very soon the bursts from the grid left him unaware of anything but searing pain. Solo knew he was screaming, but was helpless to stop it.

...

Calrissian found himself waiting outside the interrogation room with Boba Fett. A situation which struck him as more than a little bizarre. He heard Solo start screaming on the other side of the door and his mouth formed a hard line. The volume of the screams increased dramatically a moment later when the door opened and Vader stepped out.

"Lord Vader-" Calrissian started, but Vader ignored him completely, turning instead to the bounty hunter.

"You may take Captain Solo to Jabba the Hutt after I have Skywalker," he said.

Calrissian was shocked to realise that Vader was not in Cloud City for Solo and his princess at all, but in their usefulness as bait for some other poor fool. Immediately he wondered if he might not be able to salvage the situation, for Chewie and the princess at least.

"He's no good to me dead," Fett replied sourly

"He will not be permanently damaged," Vader said, heading for the elevator.

Following him, Calrissian asked urgently, "Lord Vader, what about Leia and the Wookiee?"

"They must never again leave this city," was the succinct reply.

"That was never a condition of our agreement!" Calrissian snapped. "Nor was giving Han to this bounty hunter!"

Calrissian found himself with Vader's full attention and felt himself quail a little.

"Perhaps you think you're being treated unfairly?" the Dark Lord suggested facetiously.

"No," Calrissian replied tightly.

"Good," Vader said, stepping into the elevator. "It would be unfortunate if I had to leave a garrison here."

The elevator door closed and Calrissian's fists clenched in frustration.

"This deal is getting worse all the time," he growled.

...

The black uniformed officers manning the observation room all looked up as the princess was brought in, and it only took Leia a moment to realise where she was. Spy central. These were the officers who had been watching her since she arrived on Cloud City. Watching every intimate moment she had shared with Han. The thought was too crippling to contemplate, so she pushed it aside to deal with later.

Instead, she ignored the officers and focussed on the screens in front of them. On one screen she could see the Millennium Falcon and, on another, the cell she had been in minutes before. Chewbacca, it seemed, had recovered from the stun blast and was suffering a form of aural torture. She couldn't hear it, the Imperials had obviously turned it down for their own comfort, but the Wookiee was vainly trying to cover his ears in an attempt to escape.

 _Why_? she wondered. It was purely malicious on the Imperials part. For them, she guessed, that was reason enough.

On the other screens she could see Han. See him from every angle imaginable. Screaming on the scan grid. She could hear him too. Although low, they had left the sound on and Leia felt like her heart was being ripped from her chest. Vader was beside Han, watching him, then abruptly he turned and left. No questions. Nothing. That confused her. If Vader wasn't going to ask the questions, who was? Nobody apparently as they all seemed content to leave him screaming.

Leia moved closer to one of the screens, ignoring the officers around her. She could feel their lascivious intentions towards her and ignoring them was the simplest way to deal with it. Instead she pressed her hand against the screen in an attempt to be as close to Han as she could. To be with him in spirit if not body. Willed her strength to him while struggling to stop the tears of fear and frustration from rolling down her cheeks. Her fear that he would die on the grid was a real one. While the scan grid caused no direct physical damage, heart failure was very common result. And the fact that they weren't asking him any questions suggested to Leia that they were using the grid as a sadistic form of execution.

Then she realised; they weren't asking him questions because they knew he couldn't tell them anything that they probably didn't already know. But _she_ could. It was Alderaan all over again.

On the screen, Solo screamed afresh then turned his head sharply to one side in an attempt to protect his eyes, and Leia pressed her hand hard against her mouth to stop herself from sobbing. The flashing and sparking from the scan grid, the grimace on Han's face. In a surreal way it reminded Leia of how he had looked last night, while they were making love during the thunderstorm. And she was appalled with herself for thinking like that. But another part of her wanted to cherish the thought, to focus on her love for Han rather than her fear for his life.

The door to the observation room opened and Vader stepped in. Leia glared briefly at him over her shoulder then turned back to watching Solo. Felt the Dark Lord take up position at her back. A moment later the Corellian passed out but no attempt was made to remove him from the grid. They were going to wait for him to regain consciousness then start again.

"Why are you doing this?" Leia asked coldly, her voice barely audible despite the fact that Solo had stopped screaming.

"Leave us," Vader ordered the officers, and the room cleared in a matter of seconds. Now the only sounds in the room were the soft noises of the computers.

"Do you know, Princess, that on a small, insignificant planet in the Corporate Sector, there is a race who boil their own kind alive just so they can meditate to the sound of their screams."

Leia regarded the Sith Lord with pure revulsion then asked him sarcastically, "Friends of yours, are they?"

"I have studied them."

"Is that what this is?" she demanded, her anger flaring despite her attempts to keep it under control. "Some sick sort of meditation?"

"No, this is a test."

"A _test_?" Leia shook her head. "Of _what_? His ability to withstand pain?"

"No, Princess. I am testing _you_."

For the first time since Vader had entered the room, Leia actually turned and faced him.

" _What_?"

"You can stop it," Vader said.

"What?" Tarkin's voice was ringing in her ears: _Perhaps you would prefer another target? A military target? Then name the system!_

"You can stop his pain."

"How?" Leia demanded. "By betraying everything we've fought and suffered for?"

"This is not about the Rebellion."

"Then what _is_ it about, _Lord_ Vader?" Leia's anger towards the Dark Lord had far outweighed her fear of him. " _What_?" she demanded.

"Anger and hatred are powerful tools, Leia Organa," the Dark Lord replied cryptically. "Look where they have got me."

For one bizarre moment, Leia got the distinct impression that Vader was warning her. Warning her not to take the path he had taken. Outraged, she demanded, "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means you can turn the grid off. Using your anger and the Force."

"The _Force_?" Leia was so incensed she wanted to hit him and laugh all at the same time. "If I could use the Force to turn things off, Vader, I'd be starting with _your_ respirator!"

Leia got the distinct impression that Vader was amused.

"You are using the Force all the time, Leia Organa," he said. "Albeit in a simplistic and untrained manner. You used it a little while ago when you projected an image of me into the mind of the officer who was threatening to rape you."

Leia frowned. "If he thought of you, that was his own doing, not mine."

"I suspected you of being Force sensitive on the Death Star. Last night you confirmed it."

Leia felt a tingle of dread travel up her spine. It was one thing to have nameless Imperial officers watching her make love to Han, but to know Vader had been watching…

"How?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"I think you know the answer."

So he _had_ been watching. And now he was getting some sort of perverse enjoyment out of telling her he'd been watching. Leia focussed her embarrassment into outrage and hissed, "Is that how you get your kicks now? By watching others?"

"I was not watching you, Princess," the Dark Lord said calmly. "As a Force sensitive, I could not help but feel your Force bonding with Captain Solo."

 _Force bonding_? Leia wondered then, with a shock remembered the feeling of 'oneness' she and Han had shared during the storm. From Solo's reaction to it on the _Falcon_ , Leia realised it was something he had never experienced before, but it had never occurred to her that it was something unusual or abnormal. She'd assumed it was because they loved each other. But, thinking about it rationally, Leia realised what a ridiculous assumption that was. Neither she nor Han were telepathic; why would sex suddenly give them that ability?

She found herself unable to look at the Dark Lord and observed resentfully, "It has a name?"

"It has a name. And is a powerful skill. One the Jedi reserved for bonding rituals only. To use it on a non Jedi without a prior bonding was a punishable offence."

"Why?" she wanted to know, but her voice was almost a whisper.

"Because it can be used as a form of coercion."

Coercion? Leia felt a tightness around her heart and focussed on her unconscious lover. Had she _forced_ Han somehow? Were the things he'd said and done professing his love for her somehow less valid now? She felt a renewed flare of anger towards Vader because he was making her question the validity of, not just her own feelings, but Solo's as well.

Then she wondered why she was giving Vader any credence at all. This was the Dark Lord of the Sith, the Master of Deceit. The idea of him thinking she had Force potential would be laughable if it wasn't so frightening. Had been just as laughable when Luke had suggested the same thing to her on Hoth.

Was that why the accusation scared her so much? Because Luke had suggested it too?

There was no denying that Solo's recovery after almost being killed during the cave-in on Hoth was nothing short of miraculous. But Luke believed Leia had used the Force to heal the Corellian. Said he had _felt_ it. As Vader claimed to have _felt_ her last night. A wave of nausea washed over Leia and she put a hand on the console in front of her to steady herself. Could they both be right?

The princess shook her head, taking refuge in denial. "It's impossible," she told Vader without taking her eyes off Solo. "I was never tested. There were no Jedi in my family."

"Your mother had some Force talent," he replied quietly. "Not enough to be trained as a Jedi, but enough to learn some of the simpler tasks. Enough to put a protective block on your fledgling abilities."

That revelation shocked Leia more than the suggestion that she was Force sensitive herself. She looked at the Dark Lord with a mixture of dismay and loathing as her mother's death made sudden and horrible sense. It had happened well after the initial Jedi Purge but, as an unclassified Force sensitive, that would not have been surprising. It had taken the Emperor and his Sith puppet _years_ to rid the Galaxy of it's former protectors. It also made sense that the information would have been kept from her daughter. Kept from her to keep her safe.

For a moment Leia wondered if even her father had known then asked flatly, "Did _you_ kill her?"

"No," he replied.

" _Liar_ ," Leia snapped. Even if Vader had not killed her mother himself, he had been the force behind it.

She heard the scan grid hum to life and hastily looked back at the screen. Solo had regained consciousness although he looked far from 'with it'. His head was hanging limply and she could see strings of spittle falling from his mouth to the grid below. Then the grid started firing at him again and Solo howled.

Leia struggled not to sob and, without taking her eyes off the screen, begged, "Please stop this."

Vader reached across and activated a command which pulled Solo's vital statistics up on the screen. They all pointed towards him being severely traumatised.

Flatly, Leia diagnosed, "You're killing him."

The door to the observation room opened suddenly and the black uniformed officer, Rosonger entered.

"My apologies, Lord Vader," he said hurriedly, "but you wanted me to inform you the minute the facility you required was found."

"Thankyou, Commander," Vader said and headed for the door. "Take the princess back to her cell. I will speak with the administrator."

"Yes, my Lord."

"What about Han?" Leia demanded.

Vader considered for a moment then said to Rosonger, "Have the pilot taken back to the cell as well."

"Yes, Lord Vader."


	5. Chapter 5

**ONE NIGHT on BESPIN**

 _by LeelaStarsky._

CHAPTER FIVE

Calrissian was hurrying along one of the lower corridors in his city, his aide, Lobot, jogging beside him to keep up with the taller man's longer strides. Calrissian was furious.

"The carbon freeze," he growled through clenched teeth, "is for freezing _gas_ , not _mass_. How the hell did they find out about it?"

"They've had access to all our records since they got here," Lobot replied, despite being aware that Calrissian already knew the answer. "We just didn't think they'd be stupid enough to consider it."

Calrissian shook his head in frustration then slowed as they approached the outside of the carbon-freezing chamber. He wasn't about to show the Imperials how upset he was.

The stormtroopers guarding the entrance seemed to ignore him as he entered the chamber, and he took a moment to locate Vader through the clouds of vapour in the room.

The Dark Lord was standing beside the carbon-freezing platform itself, studying the controls. Beside him were two officers who were obviously explaining the unit's viability. Fools seeking only to further their careers by ingratiating themselves to the Sith Lord and telling him what he wanted to hear.

Calrissian was determined to set them all straight and said as he approached, "Lord Vader, I don't know what you've been told, but this facility is used for the freezing and transport of gases-"

"This facility is crude," Vader admitted. "But it should be adequate to freeze Skywalker for his journey to the Emperor."

They were interrupted as another officer rushed up. "Lord Vader," he said urgently. "There is a ship approaching. X-wing class."

"Good," Vader rumbled. "Monitor Skywalker and allow him to land." The officer bowed sharply and hurried out of the chamber. Vader turned to one of the other officers. "See to it that he finds his way here."

"Yes, my Lord," the officer barked and hurried out of the chamber as well.

Calrissian couldn't believe the level of stupidity going on. Had _any_ of them listened to him? He knew Vader wasn't stupid and sought to reason with him.

"Lord Vader," he said, trying to sound reasonable rather than frustrated, "we only use this facility for carbon freezing gases. If you put him in there, it might kill him."

"I do not want the Emperor's prize damaged," Vader agreed, and Calrissian almost breathed a sigh of relief. Then Vader added, "We will test it. On Captain Solo."

Calrissian stared at the Dark Lord in shock. Numbly stepped to one side as the remaining Imperial officer started barking orders to prepare the unit for operation. The small Ugnaught workers who usually ran the facility started rushing in all directions. Calrissian looked helplessly at his aide who indicated the entrance to the chamber with his eyes. Calrissian nodded and followed him out.

"Medic," Lobot said quietly, as soon as they were out of earshot. "It's his only chance."

"Organise it," Calrissian said. "I'm going to see Han."

"Don't tell them."

Calrissian nodded, agreeing reluctantly. He didn't doubt that if any of the prisoners knew what was coming they'd happily die trying to escape. It occurred to him that Solo's death would remove a big complication from his life, but he immediately dismissed the notion and honestly hoped that the medics would be able to give the Corellian something that would increase his chances of surviving the carbonite procedure.

...

When the barrage of hellish wailing they were torturing him with had finally stopped, Chewbacca had tried to distract himself from the pain in his ears and his concern about Solo and the princess by attempting to put Threepio back together. A lot was explained the moment the droid's vocoder came back on line. The droid, it seemed, had stumbled across stormtroopers just after they'd landed on Cloud City and had been promptly blasted to bits by them.

Chewbacca's ears were still ringing from the aural torture of moments ago, making Threepio's voice even more unbearable than usual. So when the droid pointed out, with ungrateful affront, that the Wookiee's attempts at reconstruction had had him put the droid's head on _backwards_ , Chewbacca had exercised his authority and turned the droid off.

The door to the cell slid opened suddenly and two stormtroopers threw Solo into the room. They backed out and the door slid shut again. Barking his concern, Chewbacca hurriedly put Threepio back in the box and rushed to pick his friend up off the floor, alarmed when Solo grunted in pain as he did.

Solo stammered, "I feel terrible."

Gently, Chewbacca laid the Corellian on the hard bunk and wondered what sort of torture Vader had inflicted on his friend. The man was trembling and had broken out in a cold sweat. Shock. The man's body was in shock.

[Why are they doing this?] he asked, not really expecting his friend to answer.

"They had me howling on the scan grid," Solo murmured, "and they never even asked me any questions."

Chewbacca had never seen a scan grid, but he knew what they could do, and wanted to tear the cell apart in outraged response.

The cell door slid open again and Leia was thrown in. She looked even more harrowed than Solo, if that was possible. Not physically, mentally, going by the haunted look in her eyes, and Chewbacca suspected that Vader had forced her to watch Solo's torture. It was a suspicion that was confirmed when she hurried over to Han and stopped herself from hugging him at the last minute. Settled for kneeling beside the bunk and, ever so gently, stroking his head.

"Han," she whispered.

Solo found the strength to look at her.

"Whatever happens, Leia-"

" _Shh_!" she said, unwilling to let him finish.

"I love you," he said. "You know that don't you?"

"I know," she assured him, then gently kissed him on the lips.

"Always have, always will," he murmured, unable to keep the evidence of his suffering out of his voice.

"Han, we don't-"

The opening of the cell door interrupted her and Chewbacca roared at Calrissian as he entered the cell, flanked by two Cloud City guards.

"Lando," Leia told the prostrate Solo and he promptly struggled to sit up.

"Get out of here Lando," Solo growled.

"Shut up and listen!" Calrissian snapped. "Vader has agreed to turn Leia and Chewie over to me."

Chewbacca looked sharply at Solo who looked anything but impressed with that arrangement.

"Over to _you_?" the Corellian snapped.

"They'll have to stay here," Calrissian continued, "but at least they'll be safe."

"What about Han?" Leia demanded, voicing Chewbacca's question before he could.

There was a small pause before the administrator admitted, "Vader's giving him to the bounty hunter."

Leia shook her head at the administrator and told him sourly, "Vader wants us _all_ dead."

"He doesn't want you at all," Calrissian insisted. "He's after someone called Skywalker."

" _Luke_?" Solo said. Until now, Leia had been helping him to sit up, but alarm gave the Corellian the strength to sit forward.

"Lord Vader's set a trap for him," Calrissian continued.

"And _we're_ the bait," Leia gasped.

Despite the vehemence in her words, Chewbacca could hear her dread.

"Well, he's on his way," Calrissian admitted.

"Perfect," Solo snapped viscously. "You fixed us all pretty good, didn't you? My _friend_."

Tapping into reserves none of them had expected, Solo launched himself at the administrator and punched him squarely in the jaw. Calrissian staggered backwards and the guards sought to control Solo by hitting him with the butts of their blaster rifles. Leia tried to put herself between Solo and the guards, but one of them collected Solo across the jaw and knocked him to the floor. Growling savagely, Chewbacca leapt to defend his friend and both guards turned their rifles on him.

Calrissian held up a hand to stop them firing. "I've done all I can," he told the prisoners, resettling his cloak on his shoulders. "I'm sorry I couldn't do better, but I have my own problems."

"Yeah," Solo agreed sarcastically, wincing as Leia tried to help him sit up. "You're a real hero."

The door to the cell opened and a medic stepped in. He frowned at the tableau of chaos in front of him then matter-of-factly moved over to Solo. Calrissian looked across at Lobot, who was waiting by the door, and got the faintest of nods.

"What's that?" Leia demanded as the medic squatted down beside Solo and aimed a hypodermic infuser at the Corellian's neck.

"Pain killer," he replied and discharged its contents into Solo's neck. He then removed the cylinder charge and replaced it with another one. "This one is a mild relaxant," he said, and discharged that into Solo's neck as well. "Your nervous system has been extremely traumatised-"

"You think?" Solo said sarcastically. Unsolicited medical attention was something the Corellian was far from fond of, but he was too weak to fight the man off. The medic changed the cylinder again and once more discharged it against Solo's neck. This time Solo reacted by shuddering and passing out.

"What have you done?" Leia demanded.

The medic got to his feet. "Hopefully saved his life," he said and hurried from the cell.

Calrissian hastily ushered the guards out, gave the prisoners one more glance, then shut the door.

Leia shared a resentful look with the Wookiee then muttered, "Chewie, help me get him onto the bunk."

But the Wookiee didn't even get the chance to pick Solo up before the cell door opened again, and this time there were Imperial officers and stormtroopers on the other side. Chewbacca growled threateningly at them as he and Leia put themselves between the troopers and the still unconscious Solo, but the Imperials moved into the cell nonetheless.

"Where's that medic?" one of the black clad officers asked, looking back over his shoulder towards his troops.

An Imperial medic shouldered his way through the press of stormtroopers and Leia and Chewie regarded him with alarm.

"Out of the way!" the black-clad officer told them, then snapped at the medic, "Revive him."

Leia immediately tried to cover Solo's body protectively with her own, but was dragged out of the way by a stormtrooper. The medic pressed a hypo to Solo's throat and there was a distinctive hiss as it discharged.

Solo jerked into wakefulness and tried to sit up as the medic ran a scanner over him. He felt sure that this wasn't the medic who had been working on him a minute ago, but was too bamboozled to say anything. When had the Imperials come in?

Seemingly satisfied with the results, the medic nodded to the black-clad officers and left the room.

"Get his jacket off and put the binders on him," the officer snapped.

Solo couldn't help wincing with pain as he was unceremoniously dragged to his feet and his jacket yanked off. The hand he had hit Lando with was hurting abominably and he suspected he might have broken something. He looked at Leia for some sort indication as to what was going on, but she was looking terrified. Not that any of the Imperials would have been able to tell; her face was almost expressionless. But Han Solo had spent the last three years learning to read the princess of Alderaan and knew her expressions intimately.

The binders they put on his wrists told him that something serious was about to happen; particularly when Chewie and Leia weren't similarly bound. But Solo knew he was in real trouble when they produced the heavy-duty arm binders, strapping them around his back from biceps to biceps. Whatever the Imperials had planned for him, they were making sure there was no way he could fight.

They were led out of the cell, leaving the box of silent droid parts behind.

...

Leia got the distinct feeling that Solo had been given a death sentence. Why else would they bind him so thoroughly? Unless Vader had something bizarre planned for herself or Chewbacca and wanted to make sure Solo couldn't interfere. But that didn't make sense. Not after what she had learned from the Sith Lord during Solo's torture.

She felt sick as they were led out of the cell, and it increased exponentially as they walked towards an unknown fate. Solo was in front of her, flanked by two stormtroopers, and Chewbacca was behind, also flanked by troopers.

Looking at Solo's back Leia felt the need to hold him and to be held by him. She could tell he was still in pain, despite the supposed pain-killer Calrissian's medic had given him, and wanted desperately to take away his suffering anyway she could. She succeeded in touching him when they had to take a lift to another level of the city. Solo's eyes met hers, full of regret and profound sadness, and Leia wanted to weep.

The room they were led into was multi-tiered and circular. There was a hub of activity around a pit that was at the centre of the level below them. A group of small, hog-like creatures that belonged to a race Leia couldn't identify were lowering what looked like a large slab of metal into the central pit, and it looked like it had something to do with the refining or containment of tibanna gas. The whole room was filled with steam or gas of some sort and the floor was glowing a fiery red.

As she followed her entourage down the stairs to the level below, Leia felt like she was walking into the Mon Calamarian version of Hell.

Boba Fett was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. He looked at Solo then turned and walked towards Vader who was standing to one side of the central pit. Calrissian was standing on the opposite side of the pit from Vader, and Solo's flanking guards didn't stop the Corellian from approaching him. The administrator did not look at his friend.

"What's going on?" Solo asked, then added sarcastically, " _buddy._ "

"You're being put into carbon-freeze," Calrissian responded cautiously under his breath.

Leia looked fearfully at Solo, then they heard Fett's processed voice complaining to Vader, "What if he doesn't survive? He's worth a lot to me."

Vader dismissed the hunter's concerns with a wave of his hand. "The Empire will compensate you if he dies."

Leia's eyes met Solo's, the horror in them swiftly giving way to despair. A whisper of a smile touched Solo's mouth and eyes as he sought to reassure her, but he could not hide the fear and regret evident in his expression.

"Put him in," she heard Vader say, and felt a sense of unreality descend over her, not unlike what she had felt when Alderaan was about to be destroyed. But, as the stormtroopers stepped towards Solo, Chewbacca went berserk, roaring and screaming abuse in Shri-Wook as he attacked the nearest troopers.

"Chewie!" Solo yelled as two stormtroopers were flung from the platform. " _Chewie_!"

Fett and the remaining stormtroopers all took aim, but Vader held up his hand to halt their fire. The Wookiee roared furiously at the Imperials seeking to subdue him and Solo yelled again, "Chewie, _stop_! Listen to me! This won't help me!"

Leia looked across at the Dark Lord, caught him watching her, and moved a step closer to Chewbacca, feeling far safer near the chaos of the Wookiee than whatever Vader had in mind for her.

"The Princess," she heard Solo tell Chewbacca and turned her attention back to the Wookiee who subdued rapidly. "You have to take care of her for me," Solo continued and Leia found herself looking into the sadly resigned eyes of the Wookiee.

"You hear me?" Solo wanted to know. "Huh?"

Chewbacca nodded, but it was apparent to everyone that he was far from happy. The stormtroopers had seized on his moment of subjugation and were hastily putting binders on his wrists. This time the Wookiee did not fight.

Leia looked at Solo and thought her heart would break. There was so much she wanted to say to him, _needed_ to tell him, and there was no time to tell him anything. He kissed her with fierce desperation and she returned it in kind, clinging to his bound arms until the stormtroopers tore them apart, dragging Solo onto the platform that had risen in the centre of the pit. And still their eyes remained locked, tethered by the lifeline that bound their souls. Leia wanted to weep; wanted to rage, wanted to wrap her arms around Han and tell him how much she loved him. That she would always love him.

Uncaring of her audience, Leia suddenly took a step closer to him, her face a picture of disbelief and anguish, and told him desperately, "I love you."

Solo smiled softly, and in his eyes she saw every kiss they'd shared since leaving Hoth. Every word, every caress, every intimacy was there, glimmering in his unwavering gaze.

"I know," he assured her simply. Words they had given each other so often in the last three weeks, they were a vow in themselves.

She was aware of the stormtroopers removing the binders on Solo's wrists then stepping away from him, leaving him standing alone on the platform, but refused to take her eyes off his. Held them as the platform started to descend and he was all but taken from view. Behind her, the Wookiee gripped her shoulder and howled. She hadn't sensed Chewbacca step up behind her, but he was there now, offering comfort through his touch, and Leia clung to him.

A blast of gas shot upward from the pit. Gas so cold it sucked the air from her lungs and made her face ache. Leia turned and buried her face in Chewbacca's fur, felt his manacled arms go round her like a shield.

The strongly acrid smell of molten carbonite and frenzied activity of the hogmen made her look again. What appeared to be a giant claw was descending into the pit. The small hogmen were busily adjusting controls on the platform while the claw seemed to tighten on something in the pit, accompanied by the screaming and cracking of hardening metal. Then, with a whine, it started to withdraw, and the platform Solo had been standing on rose, revealing to Leia the full horror of what had happened.

Embedded in a carbonite slab was Solo. His hands were up, as though trying to defend himself and the grimace on his face screamed nothing but pain. Leia felt a sob bubble up from deep in her chest and, clinging tightly to the Wookiee, held her breath to stop it from bursting. Two of the hogmen tested the carbonite with their hands and, satisfied that it was hard enough, pushed the upright slab over onto its back. It hit the platform with a resounding _smack_ and Leia flinched like she'd been struck. Calrissian moved around to kneel beside the slab and it was then that she noticed the controls and flickering display lights in its side.

"Well, Calrissian?" Vader growled. "Did he survive?"

Leia watched as the administrator adjusted some of the controls, unable to breathe until she heard his answer.

"Yes, he's alive," Calrissian finally responded. "And in perfect hibernation."

Leia closed her eyes as the wave of relief that washed over her threatened to reduce her to tears. She heard Vader tell Fett, "He's all yours, bounty hunter," and opened her eyes to look at the slab once more.

 _Han_ …

Vader turned to the officer nearby and said, "Reset the chamber for Skywalker."

Leia looked at him then, suddenly understanding. This was what he planned to do to Luke… Her eyes strayed back to the slab and she frowned. How powerful did he think Luke was?

One of the black-clad officers approached down the stairs and Vader turned to look at him.

"Skywalker has just landed, my Lord."

"Good," Vader said, and Leia shared a worried glance with Chewbacca. "See to it that he finds his way in here."

Calrissian moved around to Leia, but she was staring at the slab of metal that had been Han. The hogmen were attaching repulsors to it. Calrissian tried to take her arm but Leia jerked it out of his grasp and Chewbacca growled threateningly at him.

"Calrissian," Vader said suddenly. "Take the princess and the Wookiee to my ship."

Calrissian regarded the Dark Lord with affront. "You said they'd be left in the city under my supervision!" he protested.

"I am altering the deal," Vader said darkly. "Pray I don't alter it any further."

Leia felt a tingling at the back of her brain and looked at Calrissian in time to see him rubbing his throat warily. She looked at Vader and knew instinctively that he had used the Force to tighten the man's throat briefly. Just enough to warn him. Vader regarded her for a moment and Leia wondered if he realised that she had felt him. Then the Dark Lord swept up the stairs and out of the chamber.

Once again Leia found herself part of a procession through Cloud City's corridors, but this time there was no Han. Instead, Chewbacca was walking in front of her, flanked by stormtroopers, and in front of him were Calrissian and an Imperial officer. There were two more stormtroopers behind her, but Leia could not have cared less. All she could think about was Han.

She knew she should be worrying about where she was going, about what Vader had planned for her and, more importantly, what he had planned for Luke, but none of that seemed to matter any more. The fact that Luke had apparently arrived in the city worried her, but not enough to take her mind off what had just happened to Han. She suspected that Fett would present him to the Hutt in the carbonite; a trouble free cargo. But what the Hutt might do to a freshly defrosted and helpless Solo didn't bare thinking about. And the sort of state Solo would be in when he was set free was anybody's guess.

Leia was so engrossed in her own thoughts that when the accompanying stormtroopers started firing down an adjacent corridor at someone, she found herself wondering what the hell was going on. Whoever it was they were firing back, and Leia found herself being grabbed and dragged out of the line of fire by the Imperial officer.

Chewbacca, it seemed, had been much more attentive, and howled a warning down the adjacent corridor, [It's a trap! Go back, it's a trap!]

 _Luke_.

Knowing Luke would not have understood the Wookiee, Leia shrieked, "Luke! It's a trap!"

She thought she saw a flicker of movement in the adjacent corridor and hung on to the hatchway as the officer tried to drag her through.

"Luke, don't!" she yelled. "It's a trap!"

Then she was pulled through and the hatch was shut.

 _Luke_ …

They had not gone much further, when armed Cloud City guards suddenly surrounded them and Leia watched in amazement as Lando proceeded to disarm the Imperials. He handed Leia two blasters and said quietly to the aide, Lobot, who had brought the guards, "Well done. Hold them in the security tower and keep it _quiet_. Move."

As Lobot and the guards moved away with the Imperials, Calrissian set about removing the binders from Chewbacca's wrists.

"What do you think you're doing?" Leia demanded.

"Getting you out of here," Calrissian replied.

The binders finally came away and, roaring, Chewbacca immediately started strangling the administrator, forcing him to his knees. He was swearing a blue streak, but the only part that Leia properly understood was, [You traitorous fuck!]

She shook her head at Calrissian, totally unsympathetic to the man's strangled gasps. "Do you think that after what you did to Han we're going to trust you?"

"I had no choice…" Calrissian croaked, tugging vainly at the Wookiee's hands.

"Oh, we understand, don't we Chewie?" Leia snapped sarcastically. "He had _no choice_."

"I'm just trying to help…"

Outraged, Leia hissed, "We don't _need_ any of your help!"

"Haaaa-" Calrissian croaked.

"What?" Leia said, but made no attempt to call Chewbacca off. The way she felt at the moment, watching the Wookiee strangle the life out of Han's _friend_ could be the one bright spot in what had become a very dark day.

"Haaaan," Calrissian gasped. "There's still a chance to save… Han… at the east… platform…"

Feeling a surge of hope, Leia looked at Chewbacca and said sharply, "Chewie."

Chewbacca dropped the administrator and hurried down the corridor after the princess.

It quickly became apparent to both of them that they would need Calrissian's cooperation to _find_ the east platform. And with a shared look of irritation, they waited for the administrator to catch up.

"This way," he growled as he ran past them.


	6. Chapter 6

**ONE NIGHT on BESPIN**

 _by LeelaStarsky._

CHAPTER SIX

Leia's irritation was growing exponentially as they hurried from one corridor to the next. She was trying to calculate how much time Fett had already had, and it was not comforting. If the bounty hunter was still in the city at all, it would be only just. She heard a familiar whistle behind them and, pausing to look, recognised Luke's Artoo unit. She looked for Luke in the vain hope that he had managed to find them somehow, but he was not with the droid.

Chewbacca roared at the droid to keep up and they finally reached the east platform. Calrissian got the hatch open just in time for them to watch the bounty hunter's ship take off.

Take off and fly away with all her hope.

Leia could have wept. _Would_ have wept if they hadn't suddenly come under fire from stormtroopers. She and Chewie took cover on either side of the hatch and Calrissian bunched up beside her.

"I'll get you to the _Falcon_ ," he told her, then ducked back inside as she succeeded in shooting the trooper who had them pinned down.

Chewbacca fired a couple more shots then followed Calrissian, Leia hot on his heels.

More corridors and Leia was ready to scream, but these ones were populated, which hampered their ability to fire on their pursuers. Unfortunately, the reverse was not true and Leia felt a renewed flare of rage as two innocent bystanders were felled by the Imperials' fire. Finally they reached the entrance to the platform holding the Falcon and Calrissian hurriedly punched in the code to open it. Nothing happened and he scowled.

"Security codes have been changed," he muttered.

Leia looked at Chewbacca, hoping for a miracle. Fix it, her eyes told him. Fix it so it works. Chewbacca looked down at Artoo Detoo who had managed to keep up with them all this way.

[Plug in!] he ordered the droid. [Order the city computer to open it!]

Artoo plugged into the terminal and Leia gritted her teeth, waiting impatiently. It wouldn't take the Imperials long to figure out they'd probably head straight for the _Falcon_. Calrissian took the opportunity to use a code that hadn't been changed and activated the city-wide announcement system.

"Attention!" he said, speaking into it, and Leia heard his voice echo through the city. "This is Lando Calrissian. The Empire has taken control of the city. I advise everyone to leave before more Imperial troops arrive."

The chaos was immediate. People started rushing in all directions. And while she knew Calrissian had made the announcement for his people's sake, Leia couldn't help seeing the advantage in not being the only ones running.

Artoo whistled triumphantly and a moment later the door opened. And, with impeccable timing, the stormtroopers arrived.

The _Falcon_ was sitting at the end of the platform, bathed golden and red in the light of the sunset, and looked like the most welcoming thing Leia had ever seen. If they could just get to it. The stormtroopers had them pinned down, just inside the hatch.

Abruptly, Artoo Detoo started venting smoke. A thick cloud that obscured the troopers view of the entrance. Without needing to be told, Leia, Chewie and Calrissian bolted for the ship, Artoo Detoo close behind.

Chewbacca hurtled up the ramp and Leia followed him straight to the cockpit. She slid into the pilot's seat, rushing to help the Wookiee get the engines on-line. She was dimly aware of hearing the ramp close and was not surprised when Calrissian entered the cockpit a moment later. It wasn't like the troopers would have let him live after the _Falcon_ had lifted off. They had no choice but to take him with them. Leia could only hope that Calrissian would be as uncomfortable with the arrangement as they were.

For a moment she found herself wondering what was happening to Luke; wondered if he'd been caught, and felt a wave of overwhelming guilt that they were abandoning him. If they left now there was a chance they would catch up with Fett before he went to hyperspace, but could she abandon Luke to the same fate as Solo?

Leia faltered for a moment and Chewbacca barked irritably at her. Forcing herself to stop thinking, Leia let her reflexes cut in and silently thanked Solo for taking the time to teach her how to fly the _Falcon_. As the ship lifted from the platform, it occurred to Leia to wonder how much of it Calrissian's people had managed to fix. Without taking her eyes off the vista of spires now moving past the ship as she piloted it away from the city, Leia asked, "Chewie. The hyperdrive?"

[Is fixed,] the Wookiee replied, busily trying to locate the bounty hunter's ship on the scanners.

Two TIE fighters fell out of the clouds in front of them, spitting green fire, and Leia rolled the ship sharply, spiralling underneath the fighters before they had time to adjust their vectors. One of the green bolts splashed harmlessly against the _Falcon's_ shields and Leia spared a second to take in the ship's shield status, relieved to find it at optimum. Ignoring the fighters, Leia concentrated on getting as much speed from the _Falcon_ as possible, hoping she could simply outrun them. The last thing she wanted to do was waste time in a firefight.

"Chewie, I need a vector," she snapped.

[There's no sign of him,] Chewbacca growled irritably. [Two Star Destroyers and Vader's ship in geosync with Cloud City, but no sign of Fett.]

"Could he be hyper already?" she asked, unable to disguise the edge of panic in her voice.

Chewbacca shook his head and Calrissian argued, "He wouldn't have had to dodge the Imps; there is a chance he's gone hyper." Chewbacca turned and growled viciously at their unwelcome passenger. Calrissian held his hands up, defensive and submissive all at once.

"But you know where he's going!" he protested. "Solo's a hot cargo; Fett is _not_ going to mess around and risk having to battle it out with some other bounty hunter. He's going to take him straight to Tatooine."

Leia and Chewie shared a look while outside the ship the atmosphere thinned to vacuum and the ship's speed increased dramatically as a result.

[What about Skywalker?] Chewbacca asked quietly and Leia winced. She had no idea what they could do to help Luke. How had he even _known_ where they were? How had he got to Cloud City only hours after their own arrival?

Leia shook her head. "If we go back we'll be caught." _And then how will we save Han_? Leia gasped mentally, astounded at her own selfishness. She grimaced and said, "We don't even know where he is…" The justification sounded pathetic even to her own ears. They all knew where Luke was most likely to be. In the carbon-freezing chamber. The thought of Luke frozen into a block of metal like Solo almost paralysed her. He had come to Cloud City to save her and now she was abandoning him. But what good would she be to Luke if the _Falcon_ was captured?

"Tatooine or Nal Hutta?" Leia asked Calrissian without looking at him.

"Tatooine, without a doubt," he replied. "Jabba isn't very fond of Nal Hutta. Too much family competition."

Leia looked at Chewie and made up her mind. "Tatooine it is," she said. She turned to program the navicomp and an insistent beeping alerted them to an approaching ship.

"TIE fighters," Calrissian said, reading the scanner. "A whole flock of them."

"Damn!" Leia growled, then snapped, "Chewie, take evasive action until I can get these coordinates set."

"Want me in the turret?" Calrissian offered.

"I want to outrun them if we can," Leia muttered, hurriedly punching coordinates into the navicomp. "Not waste energy in a-"

 _Leia_.

Leia froze. The voice in her head was as clear as a bell and the pain in it was unmistakable.

 _Leia, hear me_!

"Luke," she whispered. So much pain, so much desperation in his plea. She could _feel_ him, could feel his pain. Had he been put in carbonite?

 _Leia._

Leia could almost see him in her mind's eye, hanging on for dear life. Hanging from something fragile _under_ Cloud City. Frightened by this new turn of events, Leia turned to look at Chewie and found herself the wary scrutiny of both Chewbacca and Calrissian.

"We've got to go back," she told the Wookiee.

Calrissian and the Wookiee both said, " _What_?"

"I know where Luke is," Leia told Chewbacca.

"But what about those fighters?" Calrissian protested.

Leia knew she didn't have time to explain. Wasn't sure she _could_ explain.

"Chewie, just do it," she said, and her eyes begged him, _Trust me_.

"But what about Vader?" Calrissian demanded and Chewbacca roared at him, reminding the administrator that he would rather follow the princess into the Emperor's palace than take advice from a traitorous former friend.

"All right, all right, all right," Calrissian soothed, but gripped the armrests of his seat as the _Falcon_ banked and flew straight at the oncoming TIE fighters.

The _Falcon_ barrelled through the formation, trading red blasts for green.

"Shields down to eighty percent," Calrissian reported.

Then they were back in the atmosphere, the TIE fighters hot on their tail. Leia had surrendered the flying to Chewie so she could concentrate on the strange sensation that was her awareness of Luke.

"Under," she told the Wookiee as they approached the city. "Under the city."

The airspace around Cloud City was swarming with starships of every description. Sentients abandoning their homes.

Weaving their way through the traffic, which helped to hamper the TIE fighters, Chewbacca brought the Falcon around under the city and Calrissian pointed and voiced with surprise, "Look, someone's up there!"

Leia could just make him out. Hanging from what looked like a weather array. As she watched, a piece of the array broke off and Luke almost fell.

"It's Luke," she said with certainty, refusing to let herself panic. "Chewie, slow down. Slow down and we'll get under him." As the Wookiee complied, Leia jerked her thumb at the port side of the ship. "Lando open the top hatch."

Calrissian hurried out of the cockpit and Leia leaned forward, watching as the gap between Luke and the ship closed. "Okay, easy, Chewie," she said. Then he was out of sight from the cockpit. "Lando?"

...

Calrissian hastily buckled a safety harness around his hips and rode the platform up through the top hatch. Locking the safety line to the ship, he fought the urge to duck as the _Falcon_ came perilously close to the underside of the city. He knew it was actually much further away than it seemed, but he also knew that it would only take the _Falcon_ a second to close that distance and effectively squash him. The man Chewbacca and the princess had identified as Luke Skywalker was hanging from an electronic weather sensor and Calrissian frowned, wondering how the hell the man had got there.

The wind was fierce, forcing the Cloud City administrator to stay low as he struggled out onto the hull lest he be swept off. He winced as the weather vane suddenly broke under Skywalker's weight and he fell the distance to the hull. Despite the fact that they seemed horribly close to the underside of the city, Skywalker had just fallen at least ten metres.

Calrissian staggered across the hull to him and had just managed to successfully connect him to his own safety harness when TIE fighter fire exploded around the ship. The _Falcon_ was gathering speed again, moving away from the city, and Calrissian flattened himself against the hull as it banked sharply to avoid a collision with a civilian ship.

He looked at Skywalker as he waited for the _Falcon_ to level out. The man was covered in abrasions and looked barely conscious.

The minute the _Falcon_ seemed stable enough, Calrissian got a firm grip on him and started dragging him towards the hatch. Thankfully Skywalker was conscious enough to help and Calrissian encouraged, "Come on, kid."

Skywalker mumbled something that sounded like "Han?" and Calrissian felt a wave of guilt and regret wash over him. Here was someone else who would condemn him for his betrayal of Solo.

A TIE fighter roared overhead, so close Calrissian could see its pilot, and the resulting adrenaline surge got him to the hatch. He dragged Skywalker onto the platform and activated its decent as he clambered on himself, holding Luke upright as they moved down the narrow tunnel through the hull.

He could hear Leia demanding to know his progress over the comm and replied wearily, "I got him. Let's go."

He hung on to Luke as the ship dipped suddenly, throwing them both against the bulkhead, and could feel him shivering with cold and shock. Grabbing a blanket from the bunk over the acceleration couch, Calrissian put it around Skywalker's shoulders and helped him towards the cockpit.

Leia met them in the hatchway and Calrissian heard the young man whimper, "Oh, Leia," as he relinquished him into her arms.

She led him away and Calrissian took her place in the pilot's seat.

"All right, Chewie," he said. "Let's go."

...

Leia led Luke back to the bunkroom and helped him onto the medbunk. She could tell from a glance that the young man had been severely beaten. By what, she could only guess. His clothing was torn, and he was covered in abrasions. Nothing that had caused any great blood loss fortunately, although, she reminded herself, she had no idea what state his insides were in.

The ship, under heavy fire from the pursuing TIE fighters, pitched suddenly and Luke cried out as Leia fell against him. It was a helpless, reactive cry of pain and Leia hurriedly found her feet, deciding that he might well have some broken bones.

Untangling the blanket from his right arm, the one she had fallen against, she started to check it, and was horrified to discover his hand was missing. It had been cut off just above his wrist. Cut off and the stump cauterised.

Leia gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Luke!" It was more a sob than a word and her eyes filled with tears.

He murmured her name in a strangled response, and for the first time she looked at his eyes. And saw total desolation. She looked back at the stump where his hand had once been and felt suddenly certain that she was looking at a lightsabre wound. _Vader_. Vader had cut Luke's hand off.

 _First Han, now Luke_ …

Leia arrested a train of thought she knew would leave her sobbing in a corner somewhere. Luke was in agony and she needed to deal with that _now_. Activating the data-centre of the medbunk, she put in a vocal request pertaining to amputation, and received directions on pain relief and bandaging.

Loading a hypodermic infuser with the recommended medication and silently blessing Han for keeping the medbunk properly stocked, she shot it into Luke's neck, then considered for a moment and gave him a second dose. If it knocked him out, that would probably be a good thing.

The ship bucked again, making her stagger, and she could faintly hear Chewbacca and Calrissian yelling at each other. Irritation flared, and she vowed that as soon as she got Luke settled she would go out there and knock their heads together.

The amputation wound was oozing a small amount of blood and fluid and the medbunk data was telling her she would have to set up a drain before bandaging. Leia searched the drawers, found the equipment it was telling her to use, and set about attaching it to Luke's arm. He winced as she moved the arm to cut his jacket sleeve away, but Leia suspected that was a reaction to pain from yet to be seen bruising rather than the amputation. Plus she still hadn't checked him for broken ribs.

With the clutter of his sleeve removed, she could see his arm clearly. The wound itself looked clean, but his arm was filthy. Encrusted with dirt and what looked like dried slime. Looking at his clothes, Leia could see they were much the same, and wondered where Luke had been.

She flushed the wound with sterile water, holding it tightly and apologising as Luke flinched and gasped. The skin at the sight was burned and blackened, and Leia could clearly see one of his forearm bones. According to the medbunk, if she was going to leave it suitable for a prosthetic attachment, she would have to make sure the wound itself did not heal, yet had to keep the tissue from necrotising and becoming infected. She wrapped a cast around his forearm and strapped a small pump to it. A recirculating system of tubes had the stump of his arm in a medicated saline solution that was replaced every ten minutes.

Leia clung to the bulkhead over the medbunk as the ship rolled suddenly and felt a surge of anger that they weren't in hyperspace already. With Luke out of immediate danger, she decided to go and give the two idiots in the cockpit a piece of her mind.

"I'll be back," she assured him, and kissed him briefly on the lips. Then she stalked toward the cockpit.

As she was passing through the main hold, she noticed a box beside the acceleration couch. A box she had last seen in their cell on Cloud City. Beside it, Artoo Detoo was painstakingly putting See Threepio back together.

Visions of Han flooded through her and Leia hurried to the cockpit to stop herself from thinking about him.

"Why aren't we in hyperspace?" she demanded, then hastily stepped aside as the Wookiee surged past her.

[No hyperdrive!] he spat and vanished into the main hold.

Leia turned a withering gaze on Calrissian who protested from the pilot's seat, "They told me they fixed it! It's not my fault!"

Leia moved into the copilot's seat to check the ship's status, and wondered sourly whether Calrissian was the one who had taught Han that phrase. There was a Star Destroyer to starboard and Vader's Super Star Destroyer was moving from port to cut them off. The _Falcon's_ shields were down to twenty-five percent, they had no hyperdrive, and that Super Star Destroyer would have a tractor beam on them in minutes. Leia wiped a hand across her face and wondered what else she could do.

...

Watching his son choose certain death had not been an easy thing for Darth Vader. He really had expected the boy to come with him. Nevertheless, a small nudge with the Force had made certain the boy didn't splatter himself against the city walls and now he was safely on board the _Millennium Falcon_.

Standing on the bridge of his flagship, Vader turned from his study of the speck of light that was the fleeing Corellian freighter as Admiral Piett approached.

"They'll be in range of our tractor beam in moments, my lord," the Admiral reported.

"Did your men deactivate the hyperdrive on the _Millennium Falcon_?" Vader asked.

"Yes, my lord."

"Good. Prepare the boarding party and set your weapons for stun."

"Yes, my lord."

As Piett moved away, Vader turned back to his study of the battle going on outside the viewport. Reached out with the Force to touch his son.

 _Luke_.

The boy's response was unguarded and immediate.

 _Father_.

Vader felt a swelling of pride that the young man's heart knew the truth even if his head continued to deny it.

 _Son_ , he communicated gently, _come with me_.

He could feel the boy's distress, his mental and physical pain, his overwhelming feeling of betrayal. And, with the skill of a Sith Lord, Vader focussed the boy's thoughts on the betrayal. Felt the boy's desperate plea, _Ben… why didn't you tell me_?

...

In the main hold of the Millennium Falcon, beside the acceleration couch, Artoo Detoo had managed to attach See Threepio's head and arms and was working on attaching a leg. The golden droid looked over at the displaced decking when, struggling in the hyperdrive pit, Chewbacca roared his frustration at the hyperdrive, unable to fathom why it wasn't working.

"Noisy brute," Threepio muttered. "Why don't we just go to light-speed?"

Artoo Detoo whistled a succinct answer and Threepio looked back at his friend, surprised. "We can't?" Threepio looked back at the cursing Wookiee as Artoo whistled some more, then regarded the smaller droid disdainfully. "How would you know the hyperdrive is deactivated?" he demanded. Artoo dutifully replied and Threepio repeated with disbelief, "The city's central computer told you? Artoo Detoo," he scolded, "you know better than to trust a strange computer!"

In retaliation, the astro droid deliberately soured a connection in the golden droid's leg.

"Ouch!" Threepio protested, then snapped, "Pay attention to what you're doing!"

...

Luke was aware of Leia frowning at him as he entered the cockpit, but sensed she didn't have the time to chastise or berate him for leaving the medbunk. The pain-killer she had given him had made the pain from his arm almost bearable and, with Vader so close, Luke had found himself unable to stay in the bunk. But the pain-killer had done nothing to stop the aching fear in his heart. Fear that next time he met the Dark Lord, he would _not_ be able to fight.

The _Falcon_ was running alongside the Super Star Destroyer in an attempt to lessen the attack from the pursuing TIE fighters. Staring out at the huge bulk of the Destroyer, Luke murmured, "It's Vader."

The dark-skinned man who had helped him into the _Falcon_ was out of the pilot seat, trying to reprogram the hyperdrive. He helped Luke into the communications chair and they all ducked as the communications console sparked spectacularly and died. The man traded looks with the princess then yelled down the cockpit access, " _Chewie_!"

Luke wanted to ask them where Han was but didn't think he could cope with the answer. He could _feel_ Vader. Could _feel_ his presence. Thick, dark, _cloying_. So close…

Soon the Imperials would have a tractor lock on the Falcon and Yoda's prophecy would come true. Everything he and his friends had fought and suffered for would be for nothing. The Rebellion would be extinguished. All because _he_ had refused to listen to not one, but _two_ Jedi Masters, and rushed off too soon.

 _Luke_.

The deep voice caressed his consciousness and Luke closed his eyes.

 _Luke, it is your destiny_.

Luke winced and begged his old master, "Ben, why didn't you tell me?"

...

See Threepio was furious. Artoo Detoo had abandoned him with assurances that he could correct the fault with the hyperdrive and, convinced the astro droid was delusional, Threepio yelled at him, "Artoo come back here at once! You haven't finished with me yet!" He waved his unattached leg to accentuate his point. "You don't know how to fix the hyperdrive," he insisted. "Chewbacca can do it! I'm standing here in pieces and you're having delusions of grandeur!"

In the pit, Chewbacca had resorted to hitting the hyperdrive with the hydrospanner while Artoo extended an arm into the engineering station and turned a connection back on. Abruptly the hyperdrive control panel lit up and the _Falcon_ lurched, throwing the well-intentioned droid into the pit on top of the Wookiee.

In the cockpit, Leia was thrown back into her seat while Calrissian was thrown to the floor, and Luke watched in hopeful disbelief as the _Falcon_ leapt into hyperspace.

...

Vader could feel Admiral Piett's terror and disbelief as their quarry abruptly vanished into hyperspace. But Vader was not concerned. He knew where they would go.

"Admiral," he said calmly. "Set your course for Tatooine."

"Yes, my lord."

...

Secure in hyperspace, their destination set, Leia took a moment to compose herself, then looked at Luke. This was when she knew she would have trouble; when she had time to think. Time to mull over all that had just happened. Time to think about what had happened to Han.

She licked her lip and looked at Calrissian who had picked himself up off the floor and was checking their coordinates.

"Luke, this is Lando," she said stiffly, and Calrissian turned to smile over his shoulder at Luke. Leia felt suddenly and irrationally infuriated by the man's pleasant smile, and added stonily, "He's a friend of Han's."

Luke looked at Calrissian and said, "Thankyou, Lando. You saved my life."

Calrissian said nothing and Leia refused to look at him. Choosing instead to study Luke, looking for answers which would explain not just his condition, but why he had come to Cloud City at all. How could he have known they were there?

Luke's eyes caught hers and he asked softly, "Where's Han?"

Leia leapt out of her seat, moving to assuage the tears that threatened. "I have to get you back to the medbunk," she snapped bossily, and took his arm to lead him away.

Luke put his hand over hers and insisted, "Leia?"

Leia couldn't meet his eyes.

"Is he dead?" Luke asked.

Leia found herself unable to answer him but Calrissian quickly replied, "No."

"A bounty hunter has him," Leia said evasively, then insisted, "Come on, back to the medbunk."

Luke let her lead him from the cockpit and Leia knew he had sensed the tension between herself and Calrissian.

"What happened?" she asked him as they turned into the main hold.

"Vader," he replied, and no more needed to be said. That one word was all the description Leia needed or could cope with at the moment.

Chewbacca was clambering out of the hyperdrive pit as they passed and barked a query after Luke's health. Leia assured the Wookiee that the young man would live, and Luke almost managed a smile.

As they entered the bunkroom, Luke observed, "You understood him."

"Mmm," Leia replied tightly. "Finally found the time to learn. Come on, back on the bunk."

"Need to use the head," Luke murmured and Leia flushed with embarrassment and let him go.

"Sorry," she said, and stepped aside to let him pass. Abruptly she remembered he was minus a hand and asked automatically, "Will you be alright? I mean…" Leia's embarrassment trebled. "Will you need help?"

Luke shook his head and moved out of the bunkroom towards the 'fresher. Suddenly alone, Leia didn't quite know what to do. She looked at the bunk she had been sharing with Han and found herself assaulted by the image of him frozen in carbonite. When only yesterday he had been with her in that bunk. Warm, vibrant, _alive_ …

The low-level nausea that had been with her all day rose in intensity and she reacted instinctively by putting a hand over her mouth, then turned back to the medbunk. She still had to check Luke for broken bones as well as treat his abrasions, and determined to keep herself busy by getting ready to do just that. But every part of the bunkroom brought back memories of her time with Han.

She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat and forced herself to look for the med-scanner, opening drawers with hands that were starting to shake. The med-scanner which would tell her how badly Vader had beaten Luke. Beaten Luke then cut off his hand. After needlessly torturing Han and then callously testing a freezing process on him that was likely to kill him. Encasing him in carbonite and-

Leia bolted for the head. She remembered Luke was in there as she reached the hatchway, then doubled back to the galley and vomited into the refuse chute. Having had nothing to eat or drink all day, there was very little in her stomach to bring up, but the spasms continued nonetheless.

When it finally stopped, Leia cycled the chute and closed it, then momentarily leaned her forehead against the cool metal of the overhead cupboard while she waited for her temperature to drop back to normal. The bile had left a foul taste in her mouth, so she poured herself a glass of water, downed it quickly and headed back to the bunkroom.

...

Luke stared at the bulkhead over him without seeing it. He had slept, but it was far from restful, haunted by the terrible revelation that Vader was his father. Why had Ben lied? Why tell him that Vader had killed his father? And why hadn't Yoda corrected the untruth when he'd apparently _known_ his father!

Luke shifted uncomfortably. His arm was hurting again, though not as much as his sides. When she'd inspected him earlier, Leia had found a torn ligament on his left side and two cracked ribs on his right side. The ligament would have to heal itself and, with no bone-knitter on the _Falcon_ , until he got to a Medcentre, so would his ribs. Luke had been happy to immobilise his mutilated arm against his cracked ribs, thereby protecting those injuries, and the torn ligament had made sure he only moved for a very good reason.

He and Leia had spoken very little. She had told him very briefly what had happened to Han, and the fact that Han had suffered a fate meant for himself only exacerbated Luke's feeling of guilt. It was obvious to Luke that Leia was devastated by the loss of the Corellian, but he didn't have the emotional wherewithal to process what that might mean. He was too emotionally shattered himself.

The loss of his hand was probably the most minor of his traumas. The loss of his sense of self and the feeling that he had been lied to all his life was far worse. And it always came back to Ben. _Why_ hadn't the old Jedi told him the truth? He found himself replaying the old man's words over and over in his head, as though he might find something, some hint of the truth, but it was always the same.

Kenobi had said that _he_ had trained Vader, and that Vader had become evil. Did that mean Vader hadn't always been bad? And if that was the case, when had _Luke_ come into the equation? Was he born before or after his father had become the monster he was now? And what about his _mother_?

Luke closed his eyes, remembering the tiny holo Aunt Beru had given him when he was seven. An image of a woman she had told him was his mother. He remembered because his Uncle had caused a scene about it at the time. He had not wanted his nephew to have it, and Luke had never been able to comprehend why. He had treasured that image of his mother all his life, until it was destroyed with his home on that fateful day three years ago. To Luke she became the most beautiful woman in the galaxy, the one by which all other women were measured. And there were times when Leia reminded him so much of the woman in that tiny holo that he suspected that was where his initial infatuation with the princess had come from.

The thought of Vader with the woman in that holo was enough to turn Luke's stomach. Yet he had come from somewhere, hadn't he?

He took a shuddering breath, fighting the pain in his sides to do so, and heard Leia shift on the bunk nearby. A moment later she was hovering over him, looking at the bed's bio results and frowning.

"Leia," he croaked, and she _shushed_ him.

"You're running a temperature," she said, sounding worried. "I'll get you a drink."

Luke wanted to dissuade her, but she was gone before he could gather enough air in his lungs to say anything. He had no idea how he would tell Leia about his parentage. Leia's experiences with Vader had been nothing but catastrophic. And while he desperately wanted to share the burden, he knew he couldn't bare the look of horror on her face. The _shame_ he was feeling was unparalleled.

A moment later she was back, helping him to sip water from a cup. The water felt good and cool going down and Luke savoured it.

...

Leia was moving on autopilot. She helped Luke drink, helped him get comfortable, asked him if he wanted something to eat and was aware of his negative answer, but it was almost like watching someone else do it. She was struggling desperately not to let herself think about what had happened to Han, and was instead focussing her thoughts on rescuing him.

They had been in hyperspace for four hours now, and Tatooine was at least another four away. Leia hoped they would be able to catch up with Fett before he got to Jabba, but chances were they would have to face the crime lord himself. And for that they would need money. Lots of it. Calrissian had assured her he could help. Could call in favours, con, scam and gamble enough to hopefully buy Solo back. He assured her he knew Tatooine, and Chewbacca seemed to concur. So, it seemed, keeping Lando with them was advantageous for the present.

Lando himself seemed completely guilt-ridden for what he had done, but Leia's pain was far too raw for her to feel anything but loathing for him. Once again she had let herself love and, once again, Vader had taken it from her in the most violent way possible. And Lando had helped him.

Lando was in the main hold now, trying to help Chewbacca repair the damage that had been done to the ship during their escape from Bespin. Already there had been two massive system failures, one of which had threatened to yank them out of hyperspace. And because it was Lando's people who had helped 'fix' the ship on Bespin, Leia suspected that, if something else blew, Chewbacca would happily kill the former administrator. She suspected Calrissian knew it too.

Luke developing a temperature was an unforseen complication. It meant infection was setting in, probably in the amputation wound. Leia added an anti-bacterial, anti-viral to the saline solution in the cast but was worried that they may have to put off their rescue attempt to get Luke to a proper Medcentre. The only one safe enough was with the Rebel Alliance, and who knew where _they_ were? But, as she had told Han en-route to Bespin, Tatooine was one of the safest places nearby for them to make rebel contact and find out the new coordinates for the Rebel Fleet. If they could rescue Han while they were there, so much the better.

There was a loud _bang_ from the main hold that reverberated through the ship and Leia covered her face with her hands, knowing full well that something else on the ship had just blown. _Oh, Han_ … her thoughts whimpered.

...

For Chewbacca it was the final straw. He bellowed loudly and stormed to where Calrissian was working. He should have listened to his instincts and never let the bastard work on the _Falcon_ at all!

Calrissian had been thrown by the small explosion, his clothes singed and blackened. He was just picking himself up and looked fearfully at Chewbacca as he stormed in. As Chewbacca took in just which systems the Cloud City administrator had totalled, he gave in to sheer rage.

[Calrissian, you _fuck_!] he roared. [You've killed the shields!]

"I wasn't anywhere near the shields!" Calrissian exclaimed defensively. "How the hell was I supposed to know you lunatics had re-routed communication subsystems through there?!"

[You don't know anything!] Chewbacca shrieked. [I don't even know why you're here!] He loomed threateningly over the man. [After what you did to Han, we should have left you for Vader!]

"Chewie."

They both turned to look at the princess now standing in the doorway and Chewbacca growled at her. The last thing he needed was _royal_ diplomacy! He had stopped himself from having it out with Calrissian since their escape and now that he was in the mood to give his rage full throttle he was not about to stop.

[You of all people should understand!] he snarled at her.

"I do," she agreed quietly. "But killing Lando's not the answer. If it wasn't for him, we'd be Vader's prisoners now."

Chewbacca gawped at her for a full half second, wondering if she hadn't suffered brain damage somewhere during their escape, then roared, [If it wasn't for _him_ , Han would still be here!]

The look in Leia's eyes darkened, emotional self-defence throwing diplomacy out the window. "And if this _stupid_ ship's hyperdrive had worked _we_ wouldn't have ended up on Bespin!"

[And if Han hadn't been obsessed with saving _your_ ungrateful hide,] the Wookiee snarled maliciously, [he'd be alive now and probably enjoying Jabba's benevolent thanks on Tatooine!]

It was the ultimate accusation; laying full blame for everything on her. Leia stared at him in shock, then struggled to focus on the less hurtful of the two accusations.

" _Benevolent_?" she stammered, even she knew that the Hutt crime lord was anything but benevolent. "Benev-"

Words failed her suddenly, and Lando, now on his feet, saw the young woman's eyes fill with tears and sought helplessly to defuse the situation. "Han isn't dead," he said, carefully.

[He might as well be!] Chewbacca bellowed, turning on him. [What sort of vegetable do you think is going to come out of that slab, if we ever find it?!] Lando backed away as Chewbacca pressed home his point. [Have you even _considered_ what the procedure will have done to his brain?]

Calrissian gave the Wookiee a tortured look and Leia finally found her voice, heavy with emotion. "So, what do you suggest?" she challenged, approaching the hostile behemoth. "That we _leave_ him?" Her voice cracked. " _Forget_ about him?"

[ _No_!] he roared at her.

"Write him off like some-" Leia stammered despite the mammoth effort to control her emotions. "Some-" she tried again and failed, turning away from him, ashamed.

"The medic," Calrissian stammered fearfully. "The medic gave him stuff to help him survive-"

Both the Wookiee and the princess stared at him in shock, then Chewbacca growled dangerously, [You _knew_?] He took a step closer to Calrissian. [You _knew_ what they were going to do to him and you _let_ it happen?]

Calrissian shook his head. "I had no choice! It was Vader's orders! I did the best I could to make sure Han survived!"

There was a moment of deathly silence then the Wookiee roared and lunged at Calrissian who shrieked and leapt out of reach. Leia hastily put herself between them and Chewbacca howled at her to get out of the way.

"We need him to help us rescue Han," she snapped coldly, and Calrissian had no doubts that she would otherwise have let the Wookiee tear him limb from limb.

Chewbacca growled menacingly over the princess' head at him and Calrissian swallowed nervously. Sure, he had known the Wookiee for years, but he had also seen what the hairy giant was capable of, had seen him literally rip opponents apart. It was not a way he fancied dying.

"Without the stuff the medic gave him," Calrissian told the Wookiee sincerely, "Han would not have survived the freezing process at all."

Chewbacca glared at him for a long moment then moved over to the tech station and started ripping into the panel that had just exploded, while the princess stalked away down the ring corridor without looking back. Heading towards the bunkroom, Calrissian supposed.

He looked at Chewbacca, wanting to help and, anticipating his offer, the Wookiee hissed, [Stay out of my sight and touch _nothing_.]

Sighing, Calrissian decided to go to the 'fresher and see if he could save his shirt.

The hatchway was open when he got there and the princess was bowed over the head, vomiting. Calrissian felt deeply sorry for the young woman. She obviously loved Solo and was profoundly traumatised by all that had happened. And the accusations Chewbacca had levelled at her wouldn't have helped. He was about to move away when he realised that she had noticed him and felt he couldn't walk away without saying something.

"I know it's not my place," he said awkwardly, "but if there's anything I can do to help…?"

The young woman did not look at him as she replied tersely, "You're right; it's not your place. Shut the door on your way out."

Calrissian nodded and shut the hatch.

He moved on to the bunkroom, wondering how upset Leia and Chewie would be if he wore one of Han's shirts while he waited for the autovalet to clean his.

...

Leia cycled the lavatory, but remained kneeling in front of it, her head in her hands. She felt completely wretched. Chewbacca's comments had cut her more deeply than he would ever know. And while she knew they were words cast in pain and anger, there was no denying the truth of them. If Solo had not gone back for her on Hoth, chances were he _would_ have been on Tatooine now.

The logical part of her mind reminded her that he would still have been without a hyperdrive, but the logical part of her mind was not the part she was listening to. All Leia could think of was what had happened to Han and that it was all her fault.

The exertion of vomiting had made her eyes water, and they were still watering. She blinked her eyes in an attempt to clear them, but the image of the carbonite slab kept coming back to haunt her, and now the tears were starting to flow. She tried to stop them, but could not be bothered wiping them away. Instead she watched, unseeing, as they dripped unmolested into the bowl below.

Leia told herself she should go back to Luke, but she needed to be alone for a moment.

So alone…

Han had opened the door to her emotions and now she couldn't shut it. She started to sob then angrily swallowed it. She would _not_ allow herself to wallow in sadness or self-pity; didn't have time to. How could she rescue Han when she was blubbering like some helpless noblewoman?

Leia took a deep breath, got to her feet and mechanically washed her face over the washbasin. Solo was _not_ dead, she kept telling herself, just _missing_. They would find him and unfreeze him and all would be well. She had rescued fellow rebels before; she could do it again.

Avoiding her reflection in the small mirror over the washbasin, Leia turned and faced the hatch. She took a deep breath. The nausea had lessened, but was still there in the background. Leia knew she should probably eat something. Hunger always made her nauseous. But the thought of eating sickened her, and it would not lessen the aching hole in her heart.

Determined to carry on regardless, Leia opened the hatch and stepped out of the 'fresher. She took a step towards the bunkroom, heard Calrissian talking to Luke and her resolution faltered. Her eyes filled with tears and, disgusted with herself and unable to let Calrissian see her being emotional, Leia headed for the solitude of the cockpit.

She felt Chewbacca's eyes on her as she passed through the main hold, but Leia couldn't meet his gaze, afraid of the accusations she would see there. So she carried on to the cockpit and sat in Solo's chair, staring out at the maelstrom that was hyperspace.

 _I should be preparing_ , she told herself. Planning what they would do once they reached Tatooine. She found herself remembering how she had felt on the way to Yavin 4, after Luke and Han had rescued her from the Death Star. That awful, all encompassing numbness. But at least she had been able to function through it. The heartfelt pain she was feeling now was crippling.

She sighed and wiped a hand tiredly across her face, then rested her head on one forearm, wondering if she should try to sleep. Just an hour or two of blissful unconsciousness. But Leia suspected it would be anything but restful. No, safer to remain awake than be haunted by dreams she could not control.

The hatch slid open and she looked around sharply to see who it was. Chewbacca stepped into the cockpit and shut the hatch behind him. He was looking decidedly apologetic and Leia looked away. She didn't want to hear it.

[Little Princess,] he said, moving towards her. [I've come to apologise.] He stood awkwardly between the seats and added. [I did not mean what I said…]

Leia shook her head sharply, but still did not look at him. "No, you were right," she said quietly. "If I'd got to the transport in time none of this would have happened. _None_ of it." Not Bespin, not the carbonite, not the forty days in his arms… Leia's lower lip started to tremble and she bit it, jammed her hands between her knees and tensed her whole body in an attempt to hold back the tears. _Goddess this pain is unbearable! Why can't I just go numb? Like I did after Alderaan…_

[Princess, I'm sorry,] Chewbacca rumbled softly. [I was lashing out. Lando infuriated me and…]

Leia tensed even further at the mention of Calrissian and a bead of blood blossomed on her lip because she was biting it so hard. Struggling so hard to keep her emotions in check that she was trembling. Gently, Chewbacca touched her shoulder and she flinched away. She licked the blood from her lip and got to her feet.

"I'd better check on Luke."

Chewbacca remained standing between her and the hatch. [Princess,] he murmured, [you are the best thing that ever happened to him.]

Leia wouldn't meet his gaze, but shook her head emphatically.

[You are,] Chewie insisted. [The 40 days before Bespin were the happiest I have seen Han in his life. And the happiest I have seen you, as well.]

A myriad of images from the last four weeks assaulted her and Leia sobbed, despite her efforts not to. All the memories she had been struggling so hard to suppress. She covered her face with one hand and said with a shuddering breath, "Stop it."

Chewbacca shook his head, [It needs to be said.]

"No it doesn't!" she snapped, seeking solace and control in anger. "You were right; I fucked up! We all fucked up! And Han and Luke paid the price!" She glared at him, daring him to dispute her.

Unfazed, Chewie assured her, [He loved you more than life itself and I fully intend to honour his final wish. I will protect you until he returns, or die trying.]

Tears welled up in Leia's eyes and she shook her head. "And have your blood on my hands as well?" Chewbacca embraced her and she tried to pull away. "No, Chewie, please-" But his strength was inexorable compared to hers and she found herself held tightly. "..don't…" she murmured against his sternum. _Please don't. Don't be nice to me; I won't be able to stop myself from crying if you're nice to me. I need to be strong! Need to be strong for Han; need to be strong enough to_ _ **find**_ _Han… Need…Han. Goddess, I need him_!

Leia's resolve vanished and she clung to the Wookiee, still trying desperately not to cry. Then Chewbacca sat, cradling her in his arms, and told her gently, [I need to be comforted too.] And Leia wept.

...

Han's clothes. He was wearing _Han's_ clothes. His presumption infuriated her. Left her quaking with an irrational rage that left her unable to be in the same room as him. How dare he? How _dare_ he?

After spending an hour talking with Chewbacca, Leia had finally gone back to the bunkroom to check on Luke and found Calrissian sitting on the bunk, chatting to him. The first thing she had noticed was the small stack of food containers and she was about to thank him, both for keeping Luke company as well as feeding him. Then she had noticed his clothes.

Leia knew the earlier explosion in the main hold had damaged Calrissian's clothes but to find him wearing Solo's…

Calrissian must have identified her outrage because he got to his feet and apologised hastily, "It's just until mine come out of the autovalet-"

Leia said nothing. She wanted to slap him then throw him out the airlock. But she simply settled for glaring at him and moving to check Luke.

"He's doing great," Lando offered enthusiastically. "His temperature was up, but it's coming down nicely-"

Leia cut him off icily, "When I want your opinion, Lando, I'll ask for it."

Luke touched her hand and said, "Leia."

Leia paused her examination of the medbunk's evaluation of Luke's current physical status long enough to give him a look that told him she was in no mood for conciliatory lectures. Luke, of course, ignored it.

"Leia, he's on our side."

Leia couldn't help herself. "Well, I'm not on _his_ ," she snarled.

She turned to storm out but found Chewbacca in the hatchway holding Solo's jacket. Leia frowned, knowing the item had been left in their cell on Cloud City. Then Chewbacca held up his other hand, and in it was Solo's holster and blaster. Simmering with unexpressed ire and distress, Leia was rendered speechless.

[They were in the box with Threepio,] Chewie growled.

Leia and Chewbacca both looked at Calrissian for an explanation.

"My aide, Lobot, probably put them in there when he put the box on the _Falcon_ ," he offered penitently. "I asked him to put the droid on board…"

The Wookiee and the princess shared a look, then she took the jacket while Chewbacca secured the blaster and holster in its place at the head of Solo's bunk.

Clutching the jacket, Leia stalked out of the room.

As she headed down the ring corridor towards the cockpit, it occurred to Leia to wonder whether Calrissian had spent any time in the Imperial surveillance room on Cloud City. Had he sat there with Vader and the rest of the surveillance officers, watching while she and Han made love? Suddenly the underwear he had sent to their room made horrible sense. Of course he had.

Leia paused in the hatchway to the cockpit and held the jacket up to her face. It smelled strongly of Han and, closing her eyes, for a fraction of a second she was able to believe he was there beside her. Then reality came crashing back and she had to take a deep breath to stop herself from becoming emotional.

Leia slipped the jacket on. It was big enough on her to fit easily over her snowsuit. She didn't need it for warmth, in fact she would probably be hot in it. But it was a comfort. And at least if _she_ was wearing it, Lando wouldn't be able to!

She was moving to sit in Solo's chair when the ship bucked suddenly and she was thrown violently onto the console. Outside the cockpit window, the maelstrom of hyperspace was reverting to starlines and Leia, thinking her fall had caused their reversion, screamed for Chewie while frantically trying to figure out what she had done.

The starlines had settled to stars, but were still spiralling around them unhealthily. Wherever they were, the ship was tumbling. She checked the navicomputer to see where they were, but it was still doing the equations.

Then she saw it roll into view. Vader's Super Star Destroyer. And Chewbacca lunged into the cockpit.

[What happened?] he demanded.

"We've been Interdicted," she said numbly.

The Falcon's tumble arrested suddenly, making them stagger as the inertial compensators struggled to cope.

[They've got a tractor lock on us,] Chewbacca reported, sliding into his seat. [See if you can find the point of origin and we'll blast it!]

Leia tore her gaze from the massive ship outside, which was getting closer by the second, to frown at the Wookiee. Behind her, Calrissian and Skywalker entered the cockpit.

"That's not a Star Destroyer, Chewie," she argued. "I'm sure they have more than one tractor beam."

[I'm not going down without a fight!] he roared.

Leia shook her head incredulously at him. "You can't fight!" she told him hotly. "You'll tear the ship apart!"

[We got away from them at Bespin!] he argued.

"They didn't have an Interdiction field set up at Bespin!" Leia checked the navicomp to see if it could tell them where they were and said to nobody in particular, "We're just outside the Tatooine system."

[They knew where we were going,] Chewbacca inferred darkly, and he and Leia both looked accusingly at Calrissian.

Calrissian took at step back and protested, " _I_ didn't know where we were going! How could I have told them?"

"Vader knew you would try to rescue Han," Luke said flatly, and the truth of his statement silenced everybody.

 _ **My**_ _decision_ , Leia thought. _Once again, it's all my fault_. She looked across at Luke and saw grim resignation on his face. Vader was doing all this to capture _him_. Luke knew it and Leia suspected he knew why.

Chewbacca was muttering and cursing bitterly as he shut the _Falcon's_ drive down and they all stared as the Super Star Destroyer filled the viewport.

"Why?" Leia asked, looking at Luke. "Why does Vader want you?"

Luke looked sadly at her and said, "He's my father."

...

 _To be continued…_

… _in "Family Matters..."_


End file.
